Blood Tests Could Detect Future Risk Of Leukaemia In Older Patients

New research suggests that blood tests could help stop late diagnoses of leukaemia in older people and allow treatment to be administered earlier to avoid harsh treatment.

As we age, our blood system can become damaged, potentially increasing our chances of developing blood cancers such as leukemia.

Dr. Christina Kirschner, co-lead author and senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow’s Institute of Cancer Sciences, said: “In knowing an individual patient’s risk of developing leukemia, clinicians can determine shorter intervals between appointments in people who have the disease. are likely to be developed and provide early treatment, which is more likely to be successful”.

Dr. Linus Schumacher, co-lead author and Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Edinburgh’s Center for Regenerative Medicine, said: “To understand leukemia risk, we need to consider the balance between the different cells involved in blood cell production and how this balance occurs. We change as we grow up.

“By combining genomic data with machine learning we are able to predict the future behavior of blood cells based on the mutations they develop.”

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh, the University of Glasgow, and the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute used data from a long-term study in Scotland that collected information as people age.

They measured changes in blood samples over a 12-year period in a group of 85 people since the age of 70.

The scientists combined this data with an artificial intelligence algorithm to link different gene mutations with the different growth speeds of blood stem cells carrying these mutations.

If too many of these cells develop with the mutation, the risk of cancer increases. The likelihood of developing these clusters of mutated cells increases with age.

Exploring the mutations in more detail allowed researchers to better identify gene changes that were most likely to cause diseases such as leukemia.

Knowing who has either of these mutations can be monitored more closely than ever before to diagnose and treat the disease.

Dr. Don Farrar, Director of Impact at Leukemia UK, said:

“These are exciting new findings. The ability to detect leukemia early in the elderly may provide less drastic but effective treatment options. Identifying a future risk of developing leukemia may ultimately offer the possibility of prevention and therefore saving more lives.”

“These early-stage findings provide an important stepping stone for further research with the potential to transform and personalize monitoring and follow-up for patients in the future and may ultimately play a role in preventing disease.”

The findings have been published in the journal Nature.