Cancer could be detected three years before diagnosis with experimental blood test

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University say they have uncovered an advanced method for detecting cancer.

A new study, published in the journal Cancer Discovery and partly funded by the National Institutes of Health, found that genetic material shed by tumors can be detected in the bloodstream three years prior to a cancer diagnosis.

The researchers analyzed plasma samples from a large Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study to assess risk factors for heart attack, stroke, heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases...