Researchers are coming closer to developing blood test that can detect early-stage cancer

Scientists are continuing to make progress in their quest to develop a blood test able to detect cancer before patients exhibit symptoms.

In a study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, researchers write that a test called PanSeer is able to catch small pieces of DNA that are released into the bloodstream by tumor cells. This test has the potential to detect five different types of cancers up to four years earlier than diagnostic methods now in use, NBC News reports.

For the study, researchers retroactively analyzed blood samples collected from 605 asymptomatic people — including 191 who were later diagnosed with stomach, liver, lung, esophageal, or colorectal cancer. The team wanted to see if they could spot DNA fragments indicating cancer, and determined that the test could detect cancer in the blood of asymptomatic patients with 95 percent sensitivity, NBC News reports. The goal is to hit 100 percent sensitivity, so there are no false negatives.

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The test still needs to go through clinical trials, and doctors won't be able to use it for several more years, but the researchers are hopeful it will be an affordable way for physicians to diagnose patients earlier, especially for cancers that are hard to screen for, like liver cancer.