Scientists are currently developing a simple lateral flow test that can detect brain tumors at home.
The life-saving test can quickly alert people with aggressive, recurrent brain tumors if a tumor returns.
The test was designed for glioblastoma – the type of aggressive brain tumor which affects around 2,200 people in the UK each year and recurs in around 75 per cent of cases.
Currently, people often wait three to six months between MRI scans to see if a tumor has grown back.
Therefore, a test they can take a few times a week will reduce their anxiety and detect a tumor much faster – as long as surgery is still possible or a treatment such as radiation or chemotherapy works better.
Scientists develop the world’s first lateral flow test to detect brain tumors
The lateral flow test, similar to Covid, involves taking a drop of blood instead of a nasal swab and gives a result within seconds.
It looks for a molecule called protoporphyrin IX, a central component of red blood cells. Some experts believe that, unlike normal cells, brain tumor cells give up a key function of helping the body produce red blood cells.
If a person’s brain tumor comes back, there may be more protoporphyrin IX in the body that is not being used by red blood cells.
The test will be used in the coming months on blood samples from 60 people with and without brain tumors to see how well the test works.
Professor Philippe Wilson, part of the team that created the test at Nottingham Trent University, said: “This test will save the lives of people with aggressive brain tumors who know the chance of a tumor recurrence is high. So be prepared for this ticking time bomb.
“Currently someone can have an MRI scan, but then the tumor can come back the next day and you won’t notice it until the next scan.”
“It would be very reassuring if we could monitor the recurrence of cancer at home with a cheap test that we are all used to now.”
Normal cells in the body, including brain cells, produce chemicals that are used to grow individual red blood cells.
They do this because they need red blood cells to transport oxygen from the heart and provide it with energy.
However, it is thought that brain tumor cells can behave strangely and abandon their activity to help red blood cells grow and focus on other processes, such as reproduction, to form larger tumors.
Because there are fewer normal brain cells and more brain tumor cells, the amount of protoporphyrin IX needed by red blood cells is lower. Therefore, it can remain unused in the body at a higher level.
Scientists only discovered this in the last few years and are now using this knowledge to develop a test for protoporphyrin IX.
Currently, people often wait three to six months between MRI scans to see if a tumor has grown back
This includes an antibody that, as initial analyzes show, binds to protoporphyrin IX with 100 percent accuracy and can therefore be isolated and measured.
The researchers, whose work has not yet been published in a journal or peer-reviewed by other scientists, say the test could later be used for other types of cancer by looking for different molecules in the blood or saliva whose levels change due to different types. of cancer.
But it is only being developed for gliobastoma, which causes nearly 200,000 deaths a year worldwide.
Dr Ola Rominiyi, study co-author from the University of Sheffield’s School of Medicine and Population Health, said: “Patients currently often undergo follow-up MRI every three to six months, but the successful development of a lateral flow test to detect the Brain.” “Cancer could make it possible to effectively test for recurrence every week, so that more recurrent tumors can be detected early and at a more treatable stage.”
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
