Dental Researchers A Step Closer To Pancreatic Cancer Saliva Test
Researchers from the UCLA School of Dentistry believe that they are one step closer to a saliva test, which could be used to screen for pancreatic cancer.
The research team is working on a saliva test, which detects biomarkers related to pancreatic cancer. If approved, the test could allow dentists to screen for the disease, which is one of the most deadly forms of cancer.
Studies show that survival rates for pancreatic cancer are among the lowest; the majority of people die within a year of being diagnosed and only 6 per cent of people survive for five years after diagnosis.
Pancreatic cancer killed almost 8,000 people in the UK in 2010 and Dr Nigel Carter has called for further research into the possibility of a screening test.
Dr Carter said that pancreatic cancer is a very aggressive form of cancer and anything that promotes early detection should be actively encouraged. The BDHF promotes regular dental checks and this could help to ensure that warning signs are detected early.
During the study, researchers tested mice models with pancreatic cancer and the saliva displayed evidence of biomarkers for that specific form of cancer. When researchers prevented the exosomes at the source of the cancerous cells, they found that there were no biomarkers in the saliva samples.
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