Abstract

A NOVEL TECHNIQUE FOR DETECTING PANCREATIC CANCER

Naveen Sai V.*, Kadiri Sunil Kumar and Vaila Bhavana

ABSTRACT

Cancers are a large family of diseases that involve abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal cancers, with a five-year survival rate of six percent. Cancer screening is currently not possible for many types of cancers, and even when tests are available, they may not be recommended for everyone. Universal screening or mass screening involves screening everyone. Selective screening identifies people who are known to be at higher risk of developing cancer, such as people with a family history of cancer. Several factors are considered to determine whether the benefits of screening outweigh the risks and the costs of screening. To overcome the above issue Jack Andraka has invented a technique which is similar to diabetic strips, for early-stage pancreatic cancer screening. This paper sensor measures the level of mesothelin in a sample to tests the presence of cancer in a patient. He used coated strips of filter paper with a mixture of single-walled carbon nanotubes, which made the paper conductive, and antibodies against human mesothelin. Samples containing mesothelin were applied to these paper test strips, and the binding of the mesothelin to the antibody was quantified by measuring changes in the electrical properties of the strip.

Keywords: cancer, carbon nanotubes, diabetic strips, mesothelin.