"A novel approach to detect RNA modification patterns in patient blood samples may be a promising tool for the early detection of colon cancer, as detailed in a recent study published in Nature Biotechnology. Wei Zhang, PhD, professor of Preventive Medicine in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention and a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, was a co-author of the study."
"Emerging approaches that detect cancer-associated molecular signals in the blood have demonstrated significant advantages, including being non-invasive and clinically convenient, as compared to existing methods for the early detection of cancer, such as a screening colonoscopy for detecting colon cancer. "A blood-based test with high sensitivity and specificity could improve screening compliance and patient survival because to date, early detection followed by curative surgery is still the only viable way to enhance clinical outcomes for colorectal cancer patients," Zhang said."
"Previous work, in which Zhang was also a co-author, demonstrated the potential of epigenetic features on circulating cell-free DNA as a cancer biomarker to detect liver cancer earlier than other methods. Cell-free RNA is a class of RNA molecules that can be isolated in blood plasma and is comprised of a diverse collection of RNA molecules, including messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA) and ribosomal RNA (rRNA)."
A novel noninvasive approach analyzes RNA modification patterns in cell-free RNA from blood plasma to enable early colon cancer detection. Cell-free RNA comprises mRNA, tRNA and rRNA and can reflect tumor-associated gene expression changes as well as host responses. Blood-based detection of cancer-associated molecular signals offers clinical convenience and can improve screening compliance compared with colonoscopy. High sensitivity and specificity in a blood test could increase early detection rates, enable curative surgery, and improve patient survival. Prior evidence for epigenetic features on circulating cell-free DNA supports the potential of circulating nucleic acids as cancer biomarkers.
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