A story caught my attention on the evening news the other night. It spoke about a new blood test that could detect cancers in their very early stages. Sounded like something worth looking into!
The test is called Galleri. It looks for cancer by analyzing free-floating DNA that seeps into the bloodstream from cancer cells. Apparently, DNA in cancer cells is often “sprinkled” with small molecular units called “methyl” groups. These sprinkles aren’t simply decoration – they can have a negative effect on the way the DNA functions. Sometimes there are too few sprinkles, sometimes too many. The pattern of sprinkles is called “DNA methylation”, and amazingly, those patterns indicate whether the originating cells have become cancerous (check out this article in Frontiers in Genetics). And the patterns not only reveal whether cancer is present, they also point to where the cancer is growing, e.g. in the lung, breast, colon, etc.
If you’re at a higher risk for cancer, this is a test you might want to talk with your doctor about.
Stay healthy!