New blood test can detect head & neck cancer 10 years early
Researchers have developed HPV-DeepSeek, a liquid biopsy that can identify HPV-linked head and neck cancers 10 years before symptoms emerge. Using whole-genome sequencing, it detects minute fragments of HPV DNA shed by tumours into bloodstream. In tests on 56 blood samples, it correctly identified 28 people who later developed cancer. The test showed no false positives among healthy individuals.