Diagnosis This liver spot acts as an early warning signal for cancer

Artificial implant produces liver spot as a warning

Cancer is the leading cause of death in cardiovascular diseases in western industrialized countries. Since many tumors are only recognized at an advanced stage, the chances of a cure for some cancer diseases are not very promising. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now developed an early warning system that is implanted in the body and warns of the four most common types of cancer, prostate, lung, colon and breast cancer at a very early stage.

According to the scientists, the chance of recovery in prostate cancer is just 32 percent, in colon cancer it is even only eleven percent. The implant is designed to detect such tumors reliably and early, so as not only save lives, but also reduce the number of costly and health-demanding therapies. The unusual thing about the implant is that, as a warning sign, it forms an artificial liver spot, alerting the wearer to a possible risk of cancer. The results of their study, the researchers published in the journal "Science Translational Medicine".

So maybe in the future, the artificial liver spot, which is produced by an impantate and should be regarded as an early warning sign of certain cancers. (Image: Voyagerix / fotolia.com)

How does the new implant work??

The implant consists partly of human body cells, which form an independent network. When placed under the skin, the implant permanently monitors the level of calcium in the blood. If this is too long for a long time, the implant used triggers the production of the body's own tanning substance melanin. As a result, a liver spot is formed at the site used. This appears long before a possible cancer can be detected with common diagnostic options.

The liver spot warns of impending cancer

"An implant wearer should then go to the doctor for further clarification at the appearance of the liver spot," explains study leader Martin Fussenegger, Professor at the Department of Biosystems of the ETH Zurich, in a press release on the study results. The stain, however, is no reason to panic. The liver spot does not mean that the person has to die soon. On the contrary: the stain gives the possibility of an early clarification and a timely treatment.

Calcium level as a warning sign

The implant continuously monitors the level of calcium in the blood. This serves as an indicator of prostate, lung, colon and breast cancer. Normally, the calcium concentration in the body is heavily regulated. Once it exceeds a certain threshold, it is considered an early warning sign of one of the four named types of cancer.

Better chances of recovery

"Early detection significantly increases the chances of survival," reports Fussenegger. In an early detected breast cancer, the chances of recovery would be 98 percent. If this disease is recognized too late, only one in four women have good prospects of recovery. According to Fussenegger, too many people go to the doctor only when a tumor expresses itself through health problems. Then unfortunately it is often too late.

Cost-effective self-control

"Above all, it serves self-control and would therefore be cost-effective," says the professor about the further advantages of the implant. For persons who would be too stressed by the possible appearance of the stain, an implant can be used in which the stain is visible only with red light. In this case, the check would be done at a doctor's visit.

Short life

In the current state of the art, the life of the implant is limited to approximately one year. "Encapsulated live cells last around a year, according to other studies," said Fussenegger. After that, it must be disabled and replaced. At present, the early warning system is only available as a prototype and has so far only been tested in animal experiments, but it has provided reliable results.

Expensive further development

"The further development and, above all, clinical trials are complex and expensive, which we as a research group can not afford," summarizes Fussenegger. Nevertheless, he is determined to promote his developments so that one day they will turn into applicable products. He estimates that it takes at least ten years of research and development to bring such a "biomedical tattoo" to market. (Vb)