Computer analysis detects cancer from blood

CANCER DIGEST – March 29, 2017 – Researchers have developed a computer program that can detect cancer and identify where in the body the cancer is located, from a patient's blood sample.

The program works by looking for specific molecular patterns in cancer DNA that is free flowing in the patients' blood and comparing the patterns against a database of DNA associated with different types of cancer. DNA from tumor cells is known to end up in the bloodstream in the earliest stages of cancer and offers a unique target for early detection of the disease.