Breakthrough test detects cancer in 45 minutes

A research team led by Dr. Jared Fischer, a cancer specialist at Oregon Health and Science University (USA), has just demonstrated the surprising effectiveness of a test called PAC-MANN, or Protease-Activated Magnetic Nanosensor.

PAC-MANN is a blood test that can be performed very simply. Like other blood tests, it can look for signs of proteins characteristic of pancreatic cancer in the early stages of the disease, taking only 45 minutes and achieving up to 85% accuracy.

New blood test could detect early signs of pancreatic cancer 

This test can also be used to monitor the effectiveness of treatment by analyzing whether the amounts of these proteins are increasing or decreasing.

Dr Fischer said the problem with pancreatic cancer is that we often detect it too late. PAC-MANN could provide clinicians with a tool that could help detect the disease much earlier, meaning more treatment options and a better chance of survival.

According to the Daily Mail, pancreatic cancer is often only diagnosed at an advanced stage, when the disease has spread throughout the body and becomes extremely difficult to treat.

One of the major reasons is that the symptoms of the disease are unclear or easily confused with other common diseases: Nausea, diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, abdominal pain in the area above the navel.

The disease can also cause the whites of the eyes and skin to turn yellow, as well as loss of appetite, high fever, and fatigue.

Around 9,500 people die from pancreatic cancer each year in the UK.

Micah Soto

Update 19 February 2025