Medics have discovered blood proteins that can warn of cancer seven years in advance
Scientists analysed 1,463 proteins found in human blood. Of these, 371 proteins were found to be associated with the risk of developing at least one of 19 types of cancer.
To prevent the disease, it is necessary to understand what factors are important in its earliest stages and to develop special methods. Such 'pre-emptive' cancer prevention was thought to be impossible, but may become a reality thanks to two recent studies.
A team of scientists from Oxford University in the UK has identified proteins that distinguish the blood of people who will be diagnosed with cancer in more than seven years from those who will not develop the disease. These proteins may be involved in the development of cancer in its earliest stages, when full-blown disease development can be prevented. Both scientific papers on this topic were published by the journal Nature.
In the first study, the authors of the papers examined blood samples from 44,645 people provided by the UK Biobank. 4,921 people from the sample were subsequently diagnosed with cancer. One blood sample was used from each study participant, this yielded a set of 1,463 proteins, 371 of which were linked to the risk of developing at least one of 19 types of cancer. Scientists were also able to identify 182 proteins that distinguished the blood of people who then developed cancer from that of healthy people three years before diagnosis, and 107 proteins that were present in the sample at least seven years before the disease was detected.
In the second study, experts examined genetic data from 337,822 people with cancer. At this stage, they were able to identify 40 proteins that affect the risk of developing nine different types of cancer.
Scientists noted that not any of these 40 proteins can be targeted by preventive drugs. Changes in the levels of some of them can both reduce and increase the risk of cancer. In addition, in some cases, there may be unforeseen side effects that need to be studied in more detail.
In the future, the research team plans to understand exactly what role the identified proteins play in the development of cancer, what tests will allow to identify them in hospital settings, as well as what drugs can reduce the risk of malignant processes. The latest studies, however, are important for early diagnosis and possible prevention of cancer, the scientists said:
"They provide many new insights into the causes and biology of different cancers, including understanding what happens years before cancer is diagnosed."