Abnormal prenatal blood take a look at outcomes may point out hidden maternal cancers

Researchers on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) discovered beforehand undetected cancers in 48.6% of pregnant individuals who had irregular outcomes for prenatal cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing used to display screen for chromosomal problems within the fetus. Cancers included colorectal, breast, lung and pancreatic cancers, in addition to lymphoma, cholangiocarcinoma and renal carcinoma. The screening take a look at analyzes placental DNA fragments circulating within the maternal bloodstream to establish an additional chromosome or to find out the newborn’s intercourse. The research seems within the New England Journal of Medicine.

In addition to fetal DNA, cfDNA testing detects DNA launched from the mom’s pink blood stem cells and, sometimes, irregular DNA that will outcome from an undetected most cancers within the asymptomatic pregnant particular person. NIH’s ongoing IDENTIFY study seeks to be taught extra about irregular cfDNA take a look at outcomes that might point out potential cancers. For the present evaluation, researchers carried out most cancers screening of 107 IDENTIFY individuals utilizing complete physique magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), normal medical diagnostic assessments, and cfDNA sequencing. A complete of 52 individuals had been identified with most cancers. For this group, the authors discovered that complete physique MRI was the best methodology for detecting most cancers. Standard diagnostic strategies, reminiscent of taking a medical historical past, assessing signs, and bodily examination, had been of restricted use in figuring out a participant’s most cancers or its location.

Other irregular cfDNA outcomes had been attributed to fibroids (benign uterine tumors), placental chromosomes that differed from fetal chromosomes, and clonal hematopoiesis within the mom (a precancerous state that may result in blood cancers). The researchers famous the necessity for extra research to validate cfDNA sequencing patterns described by the investigators that might point out most cancers on this younger, pregnant inhabitants with out apparent medical signs.

The research was performed by researchers in NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute, National Cancer Institute, and Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Who

NICHD Director Diana W. Bianchi, M.D., the senior writer of the paper, is out there for remark.

Article

Turriff AE et al. Prenatal cfDNA sequencing and incidental detection of maternal most cancers. New England Journal of Medicine DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2401029 (2024)

About the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): NICHD leads analysis and coaching to know human growth, enhance reproductive well being, improve the lives of youngsters and adolescents, and optimize talents for all. For extra data, go to https://www.nichd.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):
NIH, the nation’s medical analysis company, consists of 27 Institutes and Centers and is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the first federal company conducting and supporting fundamental, medical, and translational medical analysis, and is investigating the causes, remedies, and cures for each frequent and uncommon ailments. For extra details about NIH and its packages, go to www.nih.gov.

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