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An unusual new technique for early cancer diagnosis
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Experts representing the American Stanford University shared their discovery concerning the early diagnosis of cancerous tumors. They proposed intravenous administration of a small section of a special magnetic wire capable of attracting and holding a suspension of cancer cells in the blood. According to scientists, this method will help to "catch" the disease at the earliest stages of development.
The entire scientific medical world is interested in cancer processes being detected as early as possible, because the prognosis for the patient's health and life directly depends on this. However, in practice, cancer is diagnosed too late, when it is no longer a question of curing the patient, but only of prolonging his life. If it were possible to identify and "catch" tumor cells in the blood before the process began to develop, the issue of high-quality treatment would be resolved.
"There are very few cancer cells floating around in the bloodstream, so if you just take a blood sample and try to find them, you're unlikely to be successful," explains study co-lead author Sam Gambhir.
Scientists joke that the probability of detecting a cancer cell in a blood test is equal to trying to find one tiny grain of sand in a full bathtub if you scoop out water one mug at a time.
To attract malignant structures, American specialists used a miniature magnet in the form of a wire that should be injected intravenously. Magnetization occurs with the help of nanoparticles containing antibodies that are fixed on the cancer cells floating nearby: after this, the latter "stick" to the magnetic wire.
At present, this method has already been successfully tested on pigs: scientists have managed to detect from 10 to 80 times more malignant structures than a standard blood test.
“Previously, we would have needed to do up to eighty blood tests to get the result that we got with the magnetic wire in twenty minutes,” the professor says.
Toxicity tests conducted on rodents confirmed the safety of the new method. The next step for scientists should be a clinical trial involving people.
Experts have already called the scientists' development very promising. Presumably, the method will be used not only for diagnostic purposes, but also for therapeutic purposes, because the magnet will be able to act as a filter preventing the spread of malignant cells throughout the body.
It is likely that the magnet could be directed at other types of cells as well – for example, to search for and “catch” bacterial infections, circulating tumor DNA, or rare types of cells responsible for the development of the inflammatory process.
Details of the study are available for review in Nature Biomedical Engineering (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41551-018-0257-3).
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