Too often, cancer diagnoses come out of the blue, or due to symptoms worsening with late diagnoses. However, researchers may have developed a new way to detect cancer early, about 10 years before the actual diagnosis. All of this can be achieved through a simple blood test. The cancer the test will predict is neck and head cancer. Accounting for nearly 4% of all cancers in US, an estimated 68,000 men and women were diagnosed with it. However, this is not just a singular cancer, neck and head cancer is a group of diseases that start in the soft, moist lining of the nose, mouth, and throat. To tackle this, researchers at Mass Eye and Ear, a member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system have developed a blood-based test that can diagnose this cancer with great accuracy. Can Blood-Tests Predict Cancer? Researchers have created a new and extremely precise blood test called HPV-DeepSeek. This test is specifically designed to find the smallest bits of cancer DNA from the HPV virus that have broken away from a tumor and entered the bloodstream. It's much better than older tests because it checks for many more pieces of the viral DNA, the entire HPV code, which makes it highly sensitive and accurate. In fact, it correctly identified the cancer 99% of the time, even in its very first stages, easily beating current testing methods. How Can We Detect Cancer Early? Head and neck cancers caused by HPV are increasing, and right now, there’s no way to find them early. Doctors typically only discover them after a patient feels sick and the cancer is already advanced, often leading to severe treatments. The breakthrough here is that HPV-DeepSeek could be used to screen for cancer before a person ever has symptoms. In one study, the test successfully spotted cancer in people who wouldn't be diagnosed until years later—up to nearly eight years early. Finding the cancer this soon could completely change how it's treated, allowing doctors to use gentler methods and save patients from harsh side effects. This potential for early detection is truly a game-changer. Where Does Head and Neck Cancers Start The vast majority of head and neck cancers are called squamous cell carcinomas. These start in the squamous cells, which are the flat cells that make up the mucosal lining (the wet, protective layer) of these areas:Mouth (Oral Cavity), this includes the lips, tongue, gums, the roof and floor of the mouth, and the lining of the cheeks.Throat (Pharynx), the throat is a tube with three parts:Upper part (Nasopharynx), which is behind the nose.Middle part (Oropharynx), which includes the back of the mouth, the tonsils, and the base of the tongue.Lower part (Hypopharynx), the lowest part of the throat, just above the voice box.Voice Box (Larynx). Which is a structure in the neck that holds the vocal cords. It also has a flap of tissue called the epiglottis, which keeps food out of the windpipe.Other less common one's head and neck cancers can also start in salivary glands and nasal cavity and sinuses.Is HPV responsible For All Head & Neck Cancer Diagnosis? In a separate, but related, development, the research team also tested a different, very sensitive blood test called MAESTRO for head and neck cancers not caused by HPV. The study published in Clinical Cancer Research, found that MAESTRO's job is to accurately find any tiny specks of cancer that might have been left behind after a patient has surgery. Finding this remaining cancer is an important tool for doctors because it helps them predict which patients might have the cancer return, letting them decide if extra treatment, like radiation, is necessary. Ultimately, both HPV-DeepSeek and MAESTRO show that these new, advanced blood tests are a powerful way to make diagnoses more accurate and move toward truly personalized care for cancer patients.
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