Study: New Technique May Improve Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

A new analytical technique called proteomics could greatly improve the accuracy of breast cancer diagnosis, according to a report in the British Journal of Cancer

British and Swedish researchers have become the first to use the technique -- which analyzes the protein molecules produced by our genes -- to identify patterns or "fingerprints" distinctive to breast cancer.

The researchers believe proteomics has the potential to be a significant improvement on current diagnosis techniques, which rely on pathologists studying samples of breast tissue under the microscope to visually spot abnormal cells.

Researchers from the University of Westminster and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden used proteomics to analyze 32 samples of breast tissue, measuring the levels of hundreds of types of protein to develop a protein molecular signature.

Analyzing the results with statistical software, they reported that they were able to separate breast cancer specimens from healthy tissue and benign lumps.

"In the past we've only been able to look at a handful of proteins at the same time, but using proteomics, we can examine a tissue sample for hundreds, possibly even thousands, of proteins at once," reported researcher Dr. Miriam Dwek.

"The technique still needs to be further developed and validated in larger studies, but it has the potential to be rolled out to pathology labs throughout the country and to significantly improve cancer diagnosis," Dwek added.

Other Sources: British Journal of Cancer