Diagnosing cancer will potentially become cheap, quick, and highly accurate in the future, after scientists developed a home saliva test that can detect cancer in just 10 minutes. The cancer test would only need one drop of saliva from the patient's tongue.
The Mirror reported that scientists have developed a home saliva test that could potentially revolutionize the traditional cancer diagnosis. The home cancer test kit only costs £15.
The home cancer test has been tested on lung cancer patients and scientists found that it has 'near-perfect' accuracy. The test detects cancer by searching for the circulating signature of a tumor in a person's blood or saliva.
In a report by the Daily Mail, lead researcher David Wong, the Associate Dean of Research at the University of California Los Angeles, said that the test could be done by a dentist, pharmacist or the patient themselves in a home check. "We need less than one drop of saliva and we can turn the test around in 10 minutes."
"Early detection is crucial. Any time you gain in finding out that someone has a life-threatening cancer, the sooner the better," Wong added.
Wong also disclosed that the home cancer test is more advantageous because it is non-invasive. "If you have a credible early screening risk assessment technology that people can use on their own or at dentists' office or pharmacists - that's the key, early detection."
Wong hoped that the new saliva test could be used to diagnose a range of different cancers aside from lung cancer. "Down the road it might be possible to test for multiple cancers at the same time," he added.
The development of the home cancer test came after the scientists discovered that saliva contains fragments of the genetic messenger molecule RNA linked to cancer. The test is now on trial in China and would be available to other countries in the coming years.
