{
  "id": 19830092,
  "title": "Breast Cancer Blood Test Spots Hidden Threat That Could Cause It To Return",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/13/breast-cancer-blood-test-spots-hidden-threat-that-could-cause-it-to",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-11-13T16:08:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Newsweek",
    "slug": "newsweek",
    "url": "https://www.newsweek.com/breast-cancer-blood-test-spots-hidden-threat-that-could-cause-it-to-return-12710973"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A fresh blood test, detailed in a Nature study, may detect early-stage breast cancer and gauge the risk of its recurrence by analyzing chemical tags in the DNA. This innovative method, led by researchers at Israel's Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Weizmann Institute of Science, focuses on epigenetic signatures within the tumor. These epigenetic markers, found in blood through dead cells, help identify cancer and predict recurrences. The study, which analyzed blood samples from 77 breast cancer patients and 30 healthy women, achieved 95 percent accuracy in distinguishing early-stage breast cancer from healthy subjects. Crucially, the test can identify hidden, aggressive cancer cells that may not be detected by conventional methods, even in seemingly low-risk patients. While promising, Dr. Lucy Hooper, a GP and co-founder of Coyne Medical, emphasizes the need for more extensive studies to validate the test's efficacy in routine screening and its potential impact on long-term outcomes and treatment decisions.",
  "summary": "Liquid biopsies already help guide treatment, but researchers wanted to see if they can be used to diagnose people too.",
  "key_points": [
    "Blood test detects early-stage breast cancer with 95% accuracy",
    "Identifies hidden, aggressive cancer cells missed by conventional methods",
    "Study analyzes epigenetic signatures in blood samples of 77 patients"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}