A study from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou shows: Combination of the biomarkers Apo10 and TKTL1 reliably detects early-stage breast cancer – and is able to distinguish between malignant and benign tumors.
A recent study conducted by Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou impressively confirms the diagnostic power of the APT biomarker combination (Apo10 + TKTL1) in breast cancer detection. The study was published in the renowned journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.
The researchers analyzed blood samples from 153 breast cancer patients (mostly in early stages), 56 patients with benign breast nodules, and 97 healthy control individuals. The aim was to evaluate the accuracy and diagnostic value of APT compared to established tumor markers (CEA, CA-125, CA-153, CA-199).
The results show that the combination of Apo10 and TKTL1 made it possible to reliably distinguish people with malignant tumors from healthy people and from patients with benign breast changes. This addresses a key challenge in clinical practice – uncertainty in cases with unclear or inconspicuous imaging findings.
The combination of Apo10 and TKTL1 outperformed all tested tumor markers in the overall detection of breast cancer. While both markers delivered reliable results individually, their combined use proved even more powerful. Most notably, the test’s high sensitivity did not compromise accuracy.
What’s particularly remarkable: The diagnostic performance of APT remained consistent even when patients in advanced stage III were excluded from the analysis. This highlights the method’s independence from cancer stage and its particular suitability for early detection.
The study shows: APT offers exceptional specificity and sensitivity for early-stage breast cancer, making it a highly promising tool for improved diagnostics and more targeted treatment management.
Source: Xie et al., 2024. Apo10 and TKTL1 in blood macrophages as potential biomarkers for early diagnosis of operable breast cancer.
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About Zyagnum: The Darmstadt-based biotechnology company Zyagnum AG develops diagnostic solutions for human medicine. Zyagnum has a profound understanding of immunological processes and their connection with diseases. For example, the EDIM® technology developed by Zyagnum can be used in blood tests to detect specific antigens in immune cells that may play a role in tumour development. Today, the company employs more than 50 people and was founded by Zyagnum CEO Ralf Schierl together with Johannes Coy in 2007.
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About EDIM®: When the human organism derails and runs towards disease, the immune system is often the first to recognise this, often before any symptoms. The platform technology we have developed, EDIM® (Epitope Detection in Monocytes), uses the mechanisms of the immune system to detect such derailments. The EDIM® technology examines macrophages for antigens that have previously been taken up into the cell interior by these immune cells through phagocytosis – this is why we also call EDIM® an immunological biopsy.
About PanTum Detect®: PanTum Detect® is a cancer screening blood test for the early detection of tumors. By means of a simple blood sample, it can provide indications of almost all cancer types in early, symptom-free stages – even for tumor types for which there are currently no established statutory early detection examinations. PanTum Detect® is based on EDIM® technology and detects the enzymes TKTL1 and DNaseX (Apo10), which both are increasingly produced in many tumors. PanTum Detect® does not diagnose cancer but provides indications of a potential cancer to be localized and confirmed in follow-up examinations (e.g. by imaging procedures such as MRI or PET/CT and histopathological procedures). PanTum Detect® has a sensitivity of 95.2% and a specificity of 99.5%.
*All cancers that form solid tumors (“solid cancers”). “Solid cancers” refers to tumors that grow as solid masses in an organ or tissue. Solid tumors are distinct from hematologic cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, which arise in cells of the blood or lymphatic system and do not form solid tumor masses.