Researchers move closer to home-based screening test that could catch cancer much earlier

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in the US are developing a simple screening test that is able to detect more than 30 types of Stage 1 cancers from the comfort of a patient’s home, in a move set to transform cancer treatment.

In an interview published in the university’s newsletter, the project’s lead investigator Rebecca Taylor said: “The elevator pitch for this project is: It would be wonderful to be able to screen for a range of small tumour types and do it effectively, fairly easily, at home every year.

“The challenge is that solid tumours at Stage 1 are super hard to detect. But if you can find them that early, they’re far easier to treat.”

At the heart of this ground-breaking project, which started in October and has secured US$26.7 million (S$34 million) worth of federal funding, is a multi-step screening process.

First, a person swallows a bioengineered pill packed with sensors that are triggered by key cancer indicators – low oxygen, acidity and elevated lactate.

These sensors release signals that indicate the presence of a tumour and its tissue of origin, and pass harmlessly out of the body in urine.

The patient takes a urine test, where a compact device is used to analyse whether there is a tumour and in which organ it is located, with results sent via smartphone to a medical professional for further analysis.

Professor Taylor said: “If we really want to make a dent in reducing the toll of cancer, this is a huge opportunity.

“What we’re attempting to do is understand how to find it. That’s very different from understanding the mechanisms of the disease, which is absolutely critical. But this project goes in a new direction.”

Project co-lead Burak Ozdoganlar said the project has the potential to ease healthcare costs and boost health outcomes.

“If we can make early detection something people can do at home, the impact could reach millions of people,” he said.

Early detection of solid tumours, particularly at Stage 1, is challenging but crucial, as it greatly boosts treatment success rates, said Prof Taylor.

The researchers plan to move the cancer-detection kit testing into human trials and sell it to patients at less than US$100.

This innovation is part of a US federal initiative aimed at creating over-the-counter multi-cancer early detection tests to increase the likelihood of effective treatment and survival.

Technical and social hurdles

For all the promise that such innovations offer, however, experts say there are significant technical and social hurdles to overcome.

Early detection tools must be both sensitive (able to detect tiny tumours) and specific (able to distinguish cancer from non-cancerous conditions).

False positives can lead to unnecessary anxiety and procedures; false negatives can provide false reassurance. New tools must also be rigorously validated in clinical trials.

Costs will be another critical factor.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, the federal agency funding the research, said projects should work towards a US$100 selling price – a steep target given the complexity of the technology.

“It’ll be a big challenge to pull that off, but we think we know how to make it possible too,” said Prof Taylor.

Her team is working with community partners like UPMC Hillman Cancer Center to find out what would be useful to potential users and what they can afford.

Carnegie Mellon’s project remains in its early stages with laboratory work under way, but within its process lies the promise of transforming cancer diagnosis – and the lives of many.