Blood tests could identify early signs of cancer years before diagnosis

A study of blood samples collected up to nine years before a cancer diagnosis found changes in the DNA that captured the body's response to early traces of cancer development.

The findings, published in Cell Genomics, build on other recent work by researchers at Oxford Population Health and the University of Toronto aimed at identifying the earliest signs of cancer development through highly sensitive blood profiling that captures DNA changes.

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death globally, with deaths often resulting from a late diagnosis. When cancers are detected early, treatment is more likely to succeed, and patients have a better chance of surviving.

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