AI detects 3 dangerous cancers with just one drop of dry blood

A new tool, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), can detect the three most dangerous types of cancer within minutes, using just a drop of dried blood.

Initial tests by Chinese scientists show that with just a spot of dried blood, this tool can distinguish patients with pancreatic, stomach or colorectal cancer from healthy people within a few minutes. minute.

The new tool uses machine learning, a branch of AI, to analyze metabolic byproducts, also known as metabolites, in blood samples. These metabolites (found in serum) act as "biomarkers" capable of detecting the presence of cancer in the body, according to LiveScience on April 23.

The new test requires less than 0.05ml of blood to diagnose cancers - (Illustration: REUTERS).

Screening for biomarkers in the blood has been proposed as a potential way to diagnose early-stage cancer when survival rates are higher and patients have no obvious symptoms.

Although they are the deadliest cancers in the world, pancreatic, stomach and colorectal cancers currently do not have independent blood tests accurate enough to diagnose them individually. Instead, doctors often rely on imaging or surgery to detect cancerous tissue.

The group of Chinese scientists said that in theory, their new test would require less than 0.05ml of blood to diagnose the above cancers. This tool has also been shown to accurately distinguish between people with cancer and healthy people.

At the same time, research also shows that testing with dried blood works as well as testing with liquid blood. In one of the team's trials, dry blood testing allowed them to detect 81.2% of pancreatic cancer cases, compared with 76.8% when using liquid blood samples.

Dr. Chaoyuan Kuang, who works at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (USA) and did not participate in the above study, said that compared to liquid blood, dried serum can be "collected, stored and transported at a fraction of the cost." lower costs and with much simpler equipment".

However, he said many more years of research are needed to make this test widely available to the public.

Scientists estimate that by 2030, about 75% of cancer deaths will occur in low- and middle-income countries because people face many barriers to medical care.

The study's authors say the new testing tool using dried blood could help improve access to testing in places with limited resources such as remote areas.

The study was published in the journal Nature Sustainability .