There will be just under 100,000 new diagnoses of melanoma in the United States this year. In addition, roughly 7,000 people will die from this type of cancer this year. (1) Melanoma cancer cells can travel through the blood and create new tumors. This process is called metastasis, and it’s how cancer spreads. Typically, cancer in the blood is difficult to locate. However, if found, cancer cells in the blood can be killed. Killing cancer cells in the blood before have a chance to settle into new organs reduces the chance of cancer spreading.
Researchers have developed a method for detecting and killing cancer cells in the blood. (2) Their research was published on June 12, 2019, in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Their method of detecting cancer in the blood involves using a laser to heat the blood. They accomplish this without breaking the skin. As cancer cells in the blood heat up, they make noise. Researchers amplify the sound made by the cancer cells. This allows them to locate cancer cells. They then use laser pulses to destroy the cancer cells. (2)
How Does The New Research Help Detect Cancer?
This new research has the potential to help doctors find and treat more cases of melanoma before it spreads to other parts of the body. The current method of locating cancer that has spread involves invasive biopsies. (3) A biopsy involves taking a sample of tissue and evaluating it under a microscope. In some cases, doctors look for a chemical in the blood called lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Presence of this chemical in the tissue could mean cancer will be more difficult to kill. Other blood tests indicate the possibility that the cancer has spread. (3)
The majority of deaths from cancer metastasis are caused by cancer cells that travel through the blood from the first tumor to another organ. Cancer researchers call these cells CTC, for circulating tumor cells. It’s very difficult for doctors to diagnose CTCs because there are very few lab tests that can accurately detect them.
This new laser and sound amplification method does a much better job of detecting CTCs and lets doctors kill the cancer cells before they cause tumors in other parts of the body. Locating and killing cancer cells in the blood stops cancer from spreading. This treatment is less invasive and detects cancer cells at a low level that other techniques miss. (2)
What Does This Mean For Future Cancer Treatment?
While this technology is still in its early stages, it holds promise for significantly improving early melanoma detection. During the study, this method performed about 1,000 times better than the currently available methods. (2) The researchers also believe this technology will greatly assist in monitoring reoccurring melanoma by allowing doctors to take an accurate count of CTCs at any given moment.
Current survival rates for people with melanoma vary from 98% down to 23%. (4) These rates differ depending on whether the cancer has spread. People who have melanoma that has spread to distant parts of the body average a 23% chance of survival 5 years after diagnosis. This new technology has the potential to greatly improve those odds.
