Government researchers have announced that they have found a biomarker that may lead them to creating a blood test for cancers caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). As reported on cbsnews.com, the blood test may be able to detect these types of cancers 10 years before they would be commonly diagnosable.
HPV has become the most common sexually transmitted disease and has been shown to be associated with oropharyngeal and other cancers.
Researchers from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer and the National Cancer Institute of the U.S. used blood samples from 500,000 European adults and compared samples from patients suffering oropharyngeal cancer with those from healthy patients without cancer. As a result, researchers found antibodies that form in patients with HPV16 E6 up to a decade before HPV-caused cancer diagnoses were made.
Officials with the study plan on continuing research in order to create a blood test that may be able to find these antibodies in order to begin early cancer treatment. According to the 2013 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, there were 13,000 new cases of oropharyngeal cancer in both men and women with HPV in the year 2009. More than 10,500 of these cases were men.
Healthcare providers need to be aware of all types of cancer and its precursors and be prepared to properly diagnose a patient in as little time as possible in order to begin proper treatment. If you or a loved one have been harmed because of a healthcare provider’s mistakes, contact a delayed cancer diagnosis lawyer at Blume Forte. With a no-cost consultation, available by calling 973-845-4421, you can find out more about whether you have the ability to seek compensation for your injuries and damages.