More Accurate Than a Mammogram, This New Blood Test Can Predict Breast Cancer 5 Years in Advance

By: | July 24th, 2015

Image Courtesy Bcbsnc.com

According to the World Health Organization, Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women.

Mammography is a common screening method to diagnose breast cancer. The World Health Organization reports that mammography is only about 75 percent accurate, and that is even when a person has already developed cancer. It also has a high rate of false positives that can lead to avoidable surgeries.

Image Courtesy - University of Copenhagen

Image Courtesy – University of Copenhagen

But now, scientists have developed a new technique that can predict breast cancer five years before it develops. With an accuracy level of 80%, this new technique is far better than mammography and will lead to better prevention and early treatment of the disease.

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark developed a blood test that analyzes all of the compounds in the blood instead of examining a single biomarker.

This metabolic profile of an individual was successfully able to predict the likelihood of a woman developing breast cancer.

Nidhi Goyal

Nidhi is a gold medalist Post Graduate in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.

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