AI-driven liquid biopsy improves early ovarian cancer screening using DNA fragments and biomarkers.

AI-supported liquid biopsies can help diagnose ovarian cancer at its early stage. The recent study presented in the Journal Cancer Discovery focuses on the AI blood test implemented for ovarian cancer screening based on the cell free DNA fragments and protein biomarkers (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
AI ‘Liquid Biopsies’ Using Cell-Free DNA, Protein Biomarkers, Could Aid Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer

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Challenge of Early Detection in Ovarian Cancer

Cancer of ovary is still a prevalent disease; it is the fifth leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women in the United States of America. The disease has been estimated to have a 5-year survival rate of around 50% mainly because of late diagnosis. It is very important because ovarian cancer is often asymptomatic, or the symptoms are not noticeable when the cancer is in the initial stage.

Role of AI in Liquid Biopsies

The DELFI (DNA Evaluation of Fragments for early Interception) method is employed to detect cancer-specific patterns in cell-free DNA, using the fragmentomic approach pioneered by the AI. Normal cells release a controlled, sharp signal, while cancer cells release a messy, irregular one. Using these DNA fragment profiles and applying AI, the DELFI approach was established earlier to detect the presence of lung cancer and now to screen for ovarian cancer.

Biomarkers and the DELFI-Pro Test

The study focused on combining DNA fragment analysis with two protein biomarkers: cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) – abnormal tissue antigen and epithelial ovarian cancer related protein HE-4. Although none of these biomarkers were independently specific or sensitive enough for accurate identification, when combined with the use of the AI algorithm DNA fragment analysis, improved screening was noted.

New DELFI-Pro test was proven to be more effective compared to the conventional methods because it identified the ovarian cancer cases with a very small probability of errors.

By design, the DELFI-Pro test identified 72%, 69%, 87%, and 100% of cases at stages I–IV, respectively. Thus, the CA-125 alone detected significantly fewer cases at the earlier stage. The applicability of the test was again corroborated with a different group of American women, yielding identical levels of convergence, with 73% of all cancers identified.

Distinguishing Cancerous from Benign Tumors

Still, one of the advantages of the DELFI-Pro test is the identification of malignant and benign tumors, which cannot be achieved through ultrasound tests. Such differentiation is vital if women may not come into the elimination for exploratory purposes when benign growths are noted.

DELFI-Pro test seems also to be an accurate, effective, low-cost, and time-saving diagnostic tool for the early detection of ovarian cancer. The existing approach has the potential to change the existing screening modalities due to the integration of genome-wide DNA fragmentation, coupled with the use of artificial intelligence to help achieve a high level of detection.

The DELFI-Pro test is now available through Artificial Intelligence in screening ovarian cancer and is a significant improvement from previous attempts. This new liquid biopsy could one day replace some of these invasive procedures altogether, and help identify cancer early on for greater accuracy and survival rates through integrating cell-free DNA fragment analysis with protein biomarkers and artificial intelligence. More studies and larger clinical trials will be necessary to make this test routinely used in the ovarian cancer diagnostic process.

Reference:

1. AI ‘Liquid Biopsies’ Using Cell-Free DNA, Protein Biomarkers, Could Aid Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer – (https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/2024/09/ai-liquid-biopsies-using-cell-free-dna-protein-biomarkers-could-aid-early-detection-of-ovarian-cancer)

Source-Medindia