Scientists at a new cancer institute just in the University of Cambridge work on the detection of changes in cells that are generated many years before they become tumors.
This is an investigation led by the Early Cancer Institute which they hope will help design new alternatives to treating cancer.
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According to the British media, The Guardian, it focuses on finding ways to stop tumors before they produce symptoms. “The research will take advantage of recent discoveries that have shown that many people develop precancerous conditions that remain in suspense for long periods,” the publication says.
“We need a different approach, capable of detect cancer risk early through tests that can be administered to a large number of people“explains the expert. Which contrasts, according to Fitzgerald, with current approaches for other types of cancer:
“Currently, many cancers are detected late and we have to resort to increasingly expensive drugs. We often extend life by a few weeks at a cost of tens of thousands of pounds. We have to look at it from another perspective,” he said.
In this sense, one of the approaches adopted by the institute focuses on blood samples. From them, researchers have identified changes that differentiate donors who have subsequently been diagnosed with blood cancer 10 or even 20 years after giving them, from those who did not develop such conditions, as noted in The Guardian. .
And, according to experts, cancers grow in stages and, if those who have cells that show early signs of this type of development are detected, they believe that it is possible to block or hinder their subsequent growth, giving doctors time. to treat the disease in early stages.
HEALTH EDITORIAL