Canadian study finds cancer signals in blood up to eight years before diagnosis

Researchers studying stored blood samples from Ontario Health Study participants have identified signals associated with breast and prostate cancers up to eight years before diagnosis, according to the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research.

The findings, published in Cell Genomics, could help inform future approaches to earlier detection and monitoring people at higher risk.

The team examined blood collected from people who appeared healthy when they donated samples but subsequently developed cancer. Researchers identified patterns of DNA methylation—chemical changes to DNA that can provide clues about cancer development.

The work was co-led by Dr. Philip Awadalla, a former OICR Senior Investigator, and Dr. Nicholas Cheng, a former member of his laboratory.

For healthcare teams, the potential lies in more personalized screening and follow-up. However, the findings require further validation before the approach could be used in routine care. Researchers are planning a prospective clinical trial and exploring ways to make testing faster, more accurate and more affordable.

Read the original OICR report.

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