A SEARCH FOR BIO-MARKERS

Finding a noninvasive biomarker to help detect the cancer with a simple blood test is another important area of focus all around the world.

Recently, there have been some very positive advances in this area. In June this year, Grail, a US health company launched a multicancer earlydetection blood test called Galleri that can detect more than 50 types of cancer early on, with pancreatic cancer being one of the more successful ones.

The test works by analysing small pieces of DNA released by tumours into the bloodstream, which is different from the DNA output of healthy cells in the body, and can reveal whether a signal for cancer is present as well as where in the body the cancer signal is coming from.

With more than 140 clinical study sites, the test picked up 66 per cent of pancreatic cancers and came up with less than one per cent of false positives.

Once this test becomes more widely available, it may become another weapon in the arsenal of early detection.