Cancer is a malignant disease which has been identified as the number one cause of death in the world. Cancer is a disease caused by abnormal growth of body tissue cells that turn into cancerous cells. There are several factors that can increase the risk of cancer, such as genetic factors, carcinogens (chemicals, radiation, viruses or hormones) and lifestyle (smoking, alcohol consumption, lack of physical activity and unhealthy eating patterns).

There are several ways that can be done to detect cancer, such as blood tests, MRI, or CT Scan. Pap smear can also be done for those of you who have a risk of cervical cancer. However, cancer is also often referred to as “silent killer”, because it is very difficult to detect early. Most people found out that they have cancer when it is already in its advanced stages.

Recently, a new device that can detect cancer in its early stages has been developed The device, called the "3-D-nanopatterned microfluidic chip", developed by researchers from the University of Kansas, is claimed to be an ultrasensitive cancer detection tool that can detect cancer cells with only a drop of blood.

The device is known to filter out exosomes, which are small vesicles produced by several eukaryotic cells. In the case of cancer, exosomes contain biological information that can provide information on the growth and spread of cancer cells. When tested, the new device proved to be able to detect cancerous growth in blood samples of ovarian cancer patients. As we know, ovarian cancer is one type of cancer that is very difficult to detect.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Image Google Search

Source(s):

• Zhang, P., Zhou, X., He, M., et all (2019). Ultrasensitive detection of circulating exosomes with a 3D-nanopatterned microfluidic chip. Nature Biomedical Engineering, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-019-0356-9.
• Medical News Today - New device can detect cancer in just a drop of blood (2019). https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324558.php, March 11, 2019.