Gal-GalNAc: A Proven Qualitative Screening tool for Cancer |Biomedgrid

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, and according to World Health Organization, 2020 saw 10 million deaths from cancer. Even though breast, lung, gastrointestinal tract, and prostate cancers are quite common, the underlying pathology takes a while to propagate and requires a series of alterations of the normal cells to transform into malignant cells. But once that happens, the rapid growth of abnormal cells spreads beyond the originating tissues and invades other organs. This process is called metastasis- it happens silently but, in some cases, virulently. By the time cancer is detected, it becomes difficult to eradicate. Therefore, an early detection of cancer cells or its products will immensely help in diagnosis and treatment. Cancer detection is expensive and usually by the time people seek medical help, it is already quite late. Individuals who are at risk of getting cancer need to be identified early with the help of rapid, simple, accurate, and inexpensive tests that are minimally invasive or non-invasive to generate acceptability by all. If screening test becomes positive, it will need further diagnostic procedures to confirm the presence of the disease.