An experimental blood test shows promise in improving the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, potentially leading to earlier intervention and improved patient outcomes. The study, published in Cancer Letters, reveals that the new test outperforms existing methods by detecting early-stage pancreatic cancer more effectively.
The novel test identifies two sugars, CA199.STRA and CA19-9, released by pancreatic cancer cells into the bloodstream. CA19-9 is currently the most used biomarker for pancreatic cancer. Brian Haab, Ph.D., professor at Van Andel Institute and co-corresponding author of the study, and his lab identified CA199.STRA as a cancer biomarker and developed the technology to detect it.
Improved Detection Rates
The study demonstrated that the standard CA19-9 test correctly identified only 44% of pancreatic cancer samples in the lab. However, when CA199.STRA was added, the new combination test correctly identified 71% of pancreatic cancer samples, marking a substantial improvement in detection rates.
Reduced False Negatives and Maintained Low False Positives
Importantly, the combination test also significantly reduced the number of false negatives while maintaining a low false positive rate. According to researchers, low rates of false positives and false negatives are crucial as they reflect the test's ability to accurately identify the presence or absence of cancer.
Multi-Biomarker Approach
The analysis further revealed that combining CA199.STRA, CA19-9, and a protein biomarker called LRG1 improved specificity, enhancing the test's ability to return a negative result in samples without cancer. This three-panel test accurately identified nearly all cases correctly and had far fewer false positives than CA19-9 alone.
"Another take-home message from this study is the importance of having multiple different validated biomarkers for pancreatic cancer," Haab said. "A one-size-fits-all approach won't work. It's encouraging that we have many promising candidates that can be combined to better detect cancer."
Collaborative Effort
The study was a collaborative effort involving cancer researchers participating in the National Cancer Institute's Early Detection Research Network (EDRN). Double-blinded assessments of several pancreatic cancer biomarker candidates were conducted by EDRN-affiliated labs at VAI, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, and University of Nebraska. This marks the first time multiple pancreatic cancer biomarkers from different labs have been evaluated in combination.
These new findings build upon a 2019 study by Haab and colleagues that explored combining CA19-9 and STRA to diagnose pancreatic cancer. A 2020 study also suggested that STRA may identify pancreatic cancers that will respond to treatment versus those that will not.
