Scientists develop blood test to detect throat cancer years before symptoms

Researchers have developed a new method to detect oropharyngeal cancer, one of the most common cancers linked to human papillomavirus (HPV), years before symptoms appear, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported.

The team used a blood test to search for circulating tumor HPV DNA (ctHPVDNA). They examined plasma samples from 28 patients collected 1.3 to 10.8 years before diagnosis, and from 28 control subjects. In 22 of the 28 future cancer patients, the test detected ctHPVDNA well before the first symptoms — in some cases up to 7.8 years earlier. No false positives were found in the control group.

The authors said combining ctHPVDNA analysis with HPV antibody biomarkers could form the basis of the first reliable screening test, enabling detection at the earliest stages and significantly reducing deaths and severe outcomes from the disease.