Blood test breakthroughs

A NEW form of blood test can help show doctors where in the body a tumour is growing.

It is hoped the new ‘liquid biopsies’ will revolutionise cancer treatment by showing slow-growing tumours and those people most in danger, without the need for painful biopsies where part of the organ is removed for further testing.

The scientists in America say normal cells killed off by cancer also release DNA into the bloodstream. It has its own unique signature which allows them to detect where the tumour is based on the DNA pattern as they have identified 10 different patterns for different areas of the body including the liver, lungs and kidneys.

Meanwhile a team of scientists from the Lund University in Sweden say a new blood test could give doctors a quick and simple way of diagnosing Parkinson’s disease. It comes after the experts discovered a protein in the blood which is an accurate marker of the disease in the patient.