Simple blood test could aid early breast cancer detection

- A University of Oxford research team say they have conducted a technique developed by doctors to detect breast cancer tumors with a simple blood test.

The scientists of Oxford, Imperial College London and the Museum of Natural History studies could analyze traces of metal Reserved isotopes using techniques usually Climatology Research and planet formation. Their analysis showed that breast tumors absorb zinc "light", a specific isotopic composition of zinc.

The researchers suggested that an excess of zinc "heavy" in the blood could serve as a biomarker case of early breast cancer.

The scientists tested their logical tissue of the breast and ten samples corresponding blood - five out of five patients with breast cancer and controls without cancer. The technique of highly sensitive isotope analysis could unravel subtle differences between positive blood cancer and cancer-free based on differences in the metal so cell process.

Lead researcher Dr Fiona Larner, an earth scientist at Oxford "It has been over a decade that the breast cancer tissues contain high concentrations of zinc, but the precise molecular mechanisms that cause this could have stayed a secret known, "said in a press release.

"Our work shows that the techniques that can be commonly used in geosciences help us understand not only how to use zinc tumor cells, but also how breast cancer can lead to changes in the zinc in the blood of a person - keep promise an easily- detectable biomarkers for breast cancer early, "said Larner.

Further studies may be needed, but researchers say a blood test for the early detection of cancer biomarkers could be less than five years away with a large number of cases.