In an era where over one in two people are diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, early detection and treatment significantly improve survival rates. The key to navigating this era appears to lie in discovering cancer as early as possible. Amidst this, the "Micro-CTC Test," a blood test capable of detecting cancer risk throughout the body, is gaining attention.

Cancer is curable if detected early—a fact we understand intellectually, yet the inconvenience of cancer screenings is undeniable.

For stomach cancer, one needs a barium swallow or endoscopy; for lung cancer, an X-ray. Cancer screenings must be performed for each site, and some tests can be physically demanding or time-consuming. There's also the concern of radiation exposure from PET, CT, or MRI scans.

Amidst these challenges, the "Micro-CTC (Circulating Tumor Cells) Test," which captures only highly aggressive cancer cells through a blood test, is drawing interest.

The "Micro-CTC Test" is a blood test that can detect only highly aggressive cancer cells. According to Dr. Takeshi Ota, director of Yoyogi Will Clinic, which specializes in the Micro-CTC test, and director of the Advanced Medical Research Institute for Micro-CTC, "Cancer isn't a particularly frightening disease if it doesn't invade or metastasize."

"What makes cancer frightening is its invasion and metastasis, which ravage the entire body." He explains that when epithelial cancer cells undergo Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), they become highly aggressive mesenchymal cancer cells, gaining a strong capacity for invasion and metastasis.

While conventional CTC tests have captured epithelial cancer cells, the "Micro-CTC Test" represents a more advanced diagnostic tool.

The test utilizes the CSV (Cell Surface Vimentin) antibody developed by MD Anderson Cancer Center in the United States. It identifies and detects only mesenchymal cancer cells that have a high capacity for invasion and metastasis and have leaked into the bloodstream, circulating within it, to determine the presence of highly aggressive cancer.

The most compelling aspect of the "Micro-CTC Test" is its simplicity. A single, five-minute blood draw can reveal the risk of cancer throughout the body, excluding blood cancers. Furthermore, it quantifies the number of mesenchymal cancer cells present in the drawn blood.

Major whole-body cancer screening methods like PET, CT, and MRI require fasting beforehand, take a considerable amount of time, and impose a significant physical burden.

Additionally, there's often a need for supplementary tests for specific areas or those not fully covered (like the stomach or colon), meaning a truly comprehensive check of the entire body could take over a day.

Moreover, while the Ministry of the Environment sets the annual radiation dose limit for civilians at 1 millisievert, a single PET or CT scan can result in 10-25 millisieverts of radiation exposure, potentially increasing the risk of developing cancer.

For individuals over 40, annual cancer screenings are recommended for diseases like colorectal and lung cancer. However, many likely postpone these check-ups due to the perceived hassle associated with the time and physical burden involved.

The "Micro-CTC Test," on the other hand, requires only a five-minute blood draw, minimizing physical strain and offering the significant advantage of assessing the risk of various cancers (excluding blood cancers) throughout the body. Another key point is the high accuracy of the Cell Surface Vimentin antibody used in the "Micro-CTC Test," with a specificity of 94.45% for individuals without cancer.

Some specialized cancer clinics offer CTC tests using overseas laboratories. However, this often involves days of air transport before the samples reach the lab, leading to degradation of the blood and potentially lower analytical accuracy.

With the "Micro-CTC Test," blood samples are promptly transported to a domestic testing center immediately after collection, enabling rapid analysis. This also reduces transportation costs, allowing for a higher quality test at a lower price.

The "Micro-CTC Test" has already led to the reporting of cases where cancer risk was detected early, subsequently resulting in early treatment and cures.

For instance, a 2014 study from the Pasteur Institute in France reported that among 168 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who showed no signs of cancer, cancer cells were detected in five individuals via CTC testing. All five later developed lung cancer within one to four years, and all were successfully treated due to early detection.

Furthermore, research papers from MD Anderson Cancer Center in the United States have shown its effectiveness in detecting cancer recurrence. It is reportedly used as a tool to assess the possibility of recurrence through regular CTC testing after cancer treatment.

In addition to its directly managed Yoyogi Will Clinic, the "Micro-CTC Test" is available at 150 clinics across 35 prefectures, from Hokkaido to Okinawa. Appointments can be easily made online.

The "Micro-CTC Test," which allows for a reliable and simple assessment of whole-body cancer risk, is poised to make a significant impact on the future of cancer screening.