Scientists have identified proteins in the blood which could warn people of cancer more than seven years before it is diagnosed.

Researchers found 618 proteins linked to 19 types of the disease, including bowel, prostate and breast cancers.

Some 107 of the proteins were found in a group of people whose blood was collected at least seven years before diagnosis.

It is hoped that the findings could help efforts to stop cancer before it starts and be a “crucial first step” towards offering preventative therapies.

The two Cancer Research UK-funded studies from Oxford Population Health suggest the proteins could be involved at the earliest stages of cancer.

Professor Ruth Travis, senior molecular epidemiologist at Oxford Population Health and a senior author of both studies, said: “To be able to prevent cancer, we need to understand the factors driving the earliest stages of its development.

“These studies are important because they provide many new clues about the causes and biology of multiple cancers, including insights into what’s happening years before a cancer is diagnosed.

“We now have technology that can look at thousands of proteins across thousands of cancer cases, identifying which proteins have a role in the development of specific cancers, and which might have effects that are common to multiple cancer types.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Dr Iain Foulkes, executive director of research and innovation at Cancer Research UK, said: “Preventing cancer means looking out for the earliest warning signs of the disease.

“Discoveries from this research are the crucial first step towards offering preventative therapies which is the ultimate route for giving people longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.”

Read more:
Doctor with incurable cancer free of disease after own treatment
King discusses cancer treatment side effect

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

Scientists said further research is needed to find out the exact role the proteins play in cancer development and which are the most reliable ones to test for.

More work would also be needed to identify what tests could be developed to detect the proteins in a clinic and which drugs could target the proteins.

The findings are published in the Nature Communications journal.

Related posts:

Why the UK is still some way short of herd immunity despite impressive vaccine rollout Tesla full self-driving software ‘may do the wrong thing at the worst time’ Hermit crabs ‘sexually excited’ by toxins from plastic pollution Why are companies, and even Joe Biden, posting one-word tweets? UK at risk of ‘brain drain’ as scientists leave Britain to avoid losing EU research funding Why Ukraine’s disputed nuclear plant remains an accident waiting to happen Once-in-a-lifetime green comet approaching closest point to Earth Casinos warned to be on ‘high alert’ as £11bn firm remains crippled after major cyberattack Why developers are threatening to boycott one of the world’s most popular gaming engines EU reaches deal on how to regulate artificial intelligence Peregrine spacecraft has ‘no chance’ of landing on moon, company says What you need to know about NASA and China’s space race – as Chinese lunar mission set to blast off