Israeli Researchers Develop Blood Test for Early Breast Cancer Detection

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Israeli researchers have developed a new blood test that can detect early-stage breast cancer with 95% accuracy and predict the risk of the disease returning. The test analyzes epigenetic signatures in DNA fragments found in the blood, overcoming limitations of mammography like breast density. Published in Nature, the study also identified aggressive cell populations within tumors whose presence in blood indicates an 81% higher risk of recurrence. This breakthrough could lead to more personalized cancer treatment and prevention strategies.

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Israeli researchers developed a blood test detecting early breast cancer with 95% accuracy.
The test predicts cancer recurrence risk with 81% accuracy using epigenetic signatures.
It analyzes DNA fragments in blood, unaffected by breast density.
The findings were published in the scientific journal Nature.
The research involved institutions like the Weizmann Institute and Hebrew University.

Israeli scientists have developed a novel blood test capable of detecting early-stage breast cancer with high accuracy and predicting the risk of recurrence after treatment. The test identifies unique epigenetic signatures in circulating cell-free DNA, offering a less invasive alternative to traditional biopsies.

The research, published in the journal Nature, was a collaboration between Prof. Efrat Shim's lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Prof.'s group at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. They focused on epigenetic tags, which act as markers that guide how genes are used within cells. In cancer cells, these tags can be altered, leading to abnormal gene expression.

Dr. Noa Pirat and Dr. Kristina Reimannschneider, from Prof. Shim's lab, along with Yishai Arieli from the Prof.'s team, mapped the epigenetic signature of breast cancer tumors. They utilized a technology developed by Prof. Shim that detects nucleosomes, DNA fragments released into the bloodstream by dying cells, and analyzes their epigenetic markers. This method has previously shown promise in detecting other cancers like colon and pancreatic cancer.

Tested on blood samples from 77 women with breast cancer and 30 healthy individuals, the AI-powered test achieved 95% accuracy in identifying early-stage tumors, even those smaller than two centimeters. Prof. Shim highlighted that the test's accuracy is not affected by breast density, a limitation of mammography, and it performed consistently across different breast cancer subtypes. The study also involved collaboration with medical teams from Kaplan Medical Center and Sheba Medical Centers.

Furthermore, the study investigated the test's ability to predict cancer recurrence. Researchers discovered a rare, aggressive cell population within tumors with a distinct epigenetic signature. The prevalence of this signature in blood samples correlated with a higher risk of recurrence, with the test accurately distinguishing between patients who relapsed and those who did not with 81% accuracy. This suggests that epigenetic flexibility allows cancer cells to change and evade treatment, a phenomenon the researchers aim to target with future therapies.

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