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Dipstick Test For Cancer Under Development

Posted by timothy on from the open-wider dept.

mfh writes "Scientists at Dundee University in Scotland are developing a test for early signs of throat cancer involving a dipstick. A team lead by Dr Ted Hupp will develop the test for early detection of Barrett's oesophagus, which often leads to throat cancer. Dr. Hupp said, "Currently, the diagnostic test for Barrett's oesophagus is for patients to attend an endoscopy clinic, which involves many hours of patient, nurse, and consultant time." Clearly a new, cheaper, effective, and faster test will save many lives."

6 of 21 comments (clear)

  1. Spelling correction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Informative

    There is only one "o" in esophagus. Some put another "o" in the beginning, but this is entirely extraneous, and implies and incorrect pronunciation.

  2. panel assays by airuck · · Score: 3, Informative

    Non- or minimally invasive assays are definitely needed for early detection and customized treatment for the many different types of cancer. I used to work (and still hold shares) for a biotech startup using a mouse retrovirus system as a functional screen for discovering genes related to cancer. The company, Sagres Discovery, quickly found over a thousand oncogene targets. A public collaboration using the same technology is being led by Neal Copeland at the National Cancer Institute.

    I am very encouraged by these efforts and hope that this kind of content can be combined with highly parallel microfluidic tests (lots of tiny reactions) to build comprehensive diagnostic tests .

    --
    First entomology, then virology, and finally bioinformatics systems. Bugs follow me wherever I go.
    1. Re:panel assays by airuck · · Score: 2, Informative

      I am NOT an expert in throat cancer, but Dr. Hupp's homepage indicates that he is focusing on regulatory proteins associated with tumor formation, which has led to "the discovery of a novel stress-protein response in human oesophageal epithelium".

      The "dipstick" test is probably one or more antibodies and an associated color reaction.

      --
      First entomology, then virology, and finally bioinformatics systems. Bugs follow me wherever I go.
    2. Re:panel assays by Oncogene · · Score: 2, Informative

      And to put it even simpler: they swab the back of the throat (or perhaps even take a tissue sample), and run quick test for the presence of the protein.

      Yet another case where you don't want the stick to turn blue.

      --

      - - - - - - -
      "All hail the glory of the Hypnotoad."
  3. Prevention is better than cure by beeplet · · Score: 3, Informative
    Of course any kind of advance in cancer medicine is a good thing, but when it comes to throat cancer, I can think of better things to spend money on - like anti-smoking programs.

    Some facts pulled from eMedicine Health:

    Tobacco use is by far the most common risk factor for cancers of the mouth and throat. Both smoking and "smokeless" tobacco (snuff and chewing tobacco) increase the risk of developing cancer in the mouth or throat.

    Smokers are about 6 times more likely to have cancer of the oropharynx than people who don't smoke. All forms of smoking are linked to these cancers, including cigarettes, cigars, and pipes. Tobacco smoke can cause cancer anywhere in the oropharynx as well as in the lungs, the bladder, and many other organs in the body. Pipe smoking is particularly linked with lesions of the lips, where the pipe comes in contact with the tissue.

    Smokeless tobacco is linked with cancers of the cheeks, gums, and inner surface of the lips. The risk of these cancers is as much as 50 times higher in people who use smokeless tobacco than in those who do not. Cancers caused by smokeless tobacco use often begin as leukoplakia or erythroplakia.


    It's horrible that so many people are finally starting to live the effects of being longtime smokers... and yet many people who end up with throat cancer or emphysema are still unable to quit. There's nothing wrong with treating throat cancer in a smoker, of course, but in the larger perspective, I see it as too little too late.
    1. Re:Prevention is better than cure by Bela_Phi · · Score: 3, Informative

      My understanding is that - although smoking is a risk factor for the condition - Barrett's esophagus is most frequently associated with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).

      So really, Barrett's is not among the "effects of being [a] longtime smoker," but rather a condition that many people with GERD develop that is associated with a greatly increased risk of developing throat cancer later. So lowering the number of people who smoke really wouldn't decrease the need for this test.