New publications
Tears can help in early cancer diagnosis
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Scientists have set out to find out whether human tears could be useful for the early diagnosis of prostate and breast cancer, as well as for confirming a predisposition to developing these diseases.
The central object of the work was proteins contained in tear secretions, which could serve as the basis for creating a simple, fast and non-invasive method for diagnosing and monitoring oncological diseases. According to the head of the study, Professor Mark Wilcox from the University of New South Wales (Australia), prostate and breast cancer were chosen because in both cases, one of the symptoms of the disease is a change in hormonal levels, which also affects the production of tears.
Why do all this? A mammogram, the most common test for breast cancer, often misses small tumors, and prostate cancer is usually diagnosed with a rectal exam. And frankly, neither procedure is pleasant.
The authors of the work have already determined the level of the protein biomarker in human tears using mass spectrometry. This allows identifying the protein by the amino acids it contains and their sequence, so that they can then be compared with known protein sequences and identify differences in the proteins of healthy people and those with cancer. Currently, scientists are working with biomarkers in the tears of cancer patients in order to find obvious differences in combinations of more than 100 proteins present in the tear fluid. Five potential biomarkers that change when cancer occurs have already been identified.
Wilcox believes that the development could appear on the market within 5-10 years. During this time, scientists plan to finish optimizing their method and create a test similar to a home pregnancy test, except that you will have to collect tears on a piece of paper.