A recent study shows that artificial intelligence blood tests could help in the early detection of ovarian cancer by identifying cancer-related biomarkers and genetic changes.
According to a study published by researchers at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, in collaboration with researchers from Europe and the United States, the AI blood test could help screen patients for early signs of ovarian cancer, raising more hope in helping reduce the mortality rate associated with this type of cancer.
While often under-recognized, ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in women, killing over 12,000 women in the United States annually and about 20,000 new cases reported every year, according to the data released by the American Cancer Society in January 2024.
Although the number of new cases has been dropping in the past decades, the risk of women getting cancer is still significantly high, with about 1 in 87 likely to get ovarian cancer in their lifetime.
However, only 24% of ovarian cancer are detected early, with most cases (75-80%) detected when in advanced stages (stage III or IV). At these advanced stages, most cancer patients are more likely to succumb to the illness, with only 25% likely to survive.
This stark reality of ovarian cancer’s high patient mortality underscores the need for more advanced cancer detection technologies to help detect the illness early for timely medical interventions, which could improve therapy outcomes and patient survivability.
Revolutionizing Ovarian Cancer Screening with AI Blood Test
The study, published in the journal Cancer Discovery on September 30, detailed how the researchers combined two protein biomarkers with AI-powered detection of DNA fragments of cancer-related patterns to improve detection accuracy and distinguish benign growths from cancerous tumors.
According to Victor E. Velculescu, M.D., Ph.D., the study’s lead author and a professor of oncology, a combination of two protein biomarkers, artificial intelligence, and a cell-free DNA fragment in a simple blood test improved the detection of early-stage ovarian cancer.
This new approach has the potential to democratize access to effective and affordable cancer screening, helping save lives.