Expert consensus: Molecular diagnosis such as liquid biopsy is a complement to modern early cancer screening techniques
2022年5月15日 11:42

Early detection of tumors, early diagnosis and treatment can effectively improve the 5-year survival rate of patients as well as reduce the cost of treatment. China has many excellent technologies in early diagnosis and early screening, but it is a challenge to use these technologies well.

On January 16, the conference of “Early Cancer Diagnosis Technology Seminar and Application of Molecular Diagnosis and New Technologies in Early Cancer Screening” hosted by China Medical and Health Foundation and Beijing Anti-Cancer Association Early Cancer Screening Professional Committee was held online. Academician Zhan Qimin of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, President Ji Jafu of Peking University Cancer Hospital, Professor Du Peng, Chairman of Beijing Anti-Cancer Association Early Cancer Screening Committee, Director Wang Dan of China Medical and Health Foundation, Director Dai Min of National Cancer Center, Chairman and CEO Zhang Zeyue of LAMH, and clinical department directors and experts in laboratory medicine from major hospitals across China attended the conference and delivered related speeches, and over 1.03 million people watched the conference live online.

In his speech at the conference, Academician Zhan Qimin said that the current period is the best historical opportunity for the development of China’s health industry. 2020, in a meeting of scientists held by the central government, General Secretary Xi Jinping deliberately put forward three directions for science and technology work – “to the world’s scientific and technological frontier, to the main battlefield of the economy, to the The three directions of scientific and technological work – “to the world’s scientific and technological frontier, to the main battlefield of the economy, to the major needs of the country”, and added “to the people’s life and health.

Academician Zhan Qimin, President of Peking University International Cancer Institute, Member of Chinese Academy of Engineering

Academician Zhan Qimin pointed out that the world is very concerned about the early stages of tumors, and if early indicators can be found before the appearance of clinical symptoms and before pathological morphological changes, the level of early diagnosis can be effectively improved, thus increasing the 5-year survival rate.

President Ji Jiafu, honorary chairman of the conference, further pointed out that early cancer screening techniques have actually existed for more than half a century and have played an important role in screening and detection. At present, it seems that these technologies have their advantages and shortcomings, for example, some semi-invasive tests may affect the acceptance of patients or healthy people during the actual operation.

Peking University Cancer Hospital Dean Ji Jiafu, Dean of Peking University School of Clinical Oncology

“So, are we able to discover some other detection methods from molecular diagnosis, non-invasive techniques?” President Ji Jafu believes that liquid biopsy is a complement to modern early cancer screening techniques. “We expect that this conference, through the exchange among experts and through future clinical practice, will benefit more patients.”

It is understood that President Ji Jafu is one of the few experts in China who has been committed to the promotion and popularization of early cancer screening for a long time, and as a CPPCC member, both CPPCC proposals are about early cancer screening.

With the strong support of President Ji Jafu, the Beijing Anti-Cancer Association established a professional committee for early cancer screening in 2020, and the China Medical and Health Care Development Foundation established an expert committee for tumor screening and prevention in 2021.

The China Medical and Health Foundation is also committed to the promotion and popularization of early cancer screening. In the meeting, President Wang Dan reiterated that the “Health China 2030” plan outlines that the overall 5-year survival rate of cancer in China should be increased by 15% by 2030. To achieve this goal, in addition to improving the overall health care level in China, standardized early cancer screening is very important.

President and Secretary General of China Medical and Health Care Development Foundation

Wang Dan, Chairman of the Board

“Early screening, early diagnosis and early treatment are recognized worldwide as effective means to reduce cancer incidence and mortality.” President Wang Dan emphasized, “And the innovative research and development of detection technology in this field is one of the keys to break the problem. Traditional methods can only detect tumors at the tissue level or at the late stage of cell mutation, and there is an urgent clinical need for newer, more accurate, easier and more accessible detection methods to help us detect tumors at an early stage and establish an early diagnosis and treatment system for cancer.”

National Cancer Center Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

Professor Dai Min, Director of International Exchange Department, Cancer Hospital of China

Director Dai Min also said, “In the field of screening and early diagnosis and treatment, whichever technology can be improved in which part of the process is of great significance to enhance the effectiveness of screening and early diagnosis and treatment.”

In the next discussion around molecular diagnosis and new technologies, Professor Kai Zhang, Deputy Director of Cancer Prevention Department of Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, pointed out, “Gene methylation detection technology can detect early cancer by detecting methylation of tumor-related gene loci, and thus can detect early cancer. A big thing happened last year is that Beijing Medical Insurance approved methylation into medical insurance, which filled the gap of methylation testing for gastric cancer in China.”

Professor Guo Wei, deputy director of the Department of Laboratory Medicine of Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University, believes that the application of ctDNA in precision diagnosis and treatment must have a broader prospect. ctDNA is the DNA released by tumor cells into the peripheral circulation of blood, which is part of cfDNA, and its content varies greatly among different tumor patients, and its half-life is relatively short, so it is more suitable for tumor markers. Therefore, it is more suitable for tumor marker.

Zeyue Zhang, Chairman and CEO of LAMH of Lyman Health, likewise said that markers such as cfDNA, exosomes and circulating RNA already appear in patients’ blood at the early stage of tumorigenesis, and it is possible to achieve early screening of cancer with the help of highly sensitive means such as high-throughput sequencing. Methylation has three main significant advantages, firstly, methylation changes earlier than mutation, methylation appears at the early stage of tumorigenesis; secondly, multi-locus, high sensitivity, about 2000 methylation site changes can be detected at the early stage of colorectal cancer; finally, cancer tissue traceability can be achieved, methylation pattern has tissue specificity. LAMH has the world’s earliest methylation technology accumulation and a large number of clinical samples verification data integration, exclusive AI algorithm patent and achievable clinical reporting strong combination, help more people get more accurate, earlier and easier cancer early screening services; in the future, LAMH will not only be the fastest and earliest company in the industry to commercialize landing, but also in the field of early cancer screening and early diagnosis In the future, LAMH will not only be the fastest and earliest commercialized company in the industry, but also consolidate and deepen its technical advantages in the field of early cancer screening and diagnosis, and thus be at the absolute leading level.

Prof. Du Peng, Chairman of the Conference and Administrative Vice Director of the Department of Urological Oncology Surgery, Peking University Cancer Hospital, and Director of the Early Cancer Screening Committee of Beijing Anti-Cancer Association

Prof. Jia Shuqin, Director of Research Department of Peking University Cancer Hospital and Executive Deputy Director of Molecular Diagnostic Center, and Prof. Xu Guobin, Director of Laboratory Department of Peking University Cancer Hospital and Deputy Director of Molecular Diagnostic Center, presided over the conference and made wonderful comments.

Prof. Du Peng, the chairman of the conference, the administrative deputy director of the Department of Urological Oncology Surgery of Peking University Cancer Hospital and the director of the Early Cancer Screening Committee of Beijing Anti-Cancer Association, concluded the conference by saying that it is a consensus that the prospect of molecular diagnostics such as liquid biopsy in clinical application will definitely become broader and broader. “We often conduct some such academic exchanges to promote the popularization of early cancer screening in China and the application of molecular diagnostic techniques such as liquid biopsy in early cancer screening and precision medicine.”