New Delhi: Researchers have developed an experimental blood test that could help detect pancreatic cancer at an early stage, when the disease may still show few or no obvious symptoms.

The liquid biopsy, called PANXEON, was described in a study published in Nature Medicine. Researchers said the test was "highly sensitive" in identifying stage 1 and stage 2 pancreatic cancer while recording a relatively low rate of false-positive results.

The test also showed potential in detecting high-grade dysplasia, a precancerous condition of the pancreas. This could potentially allow doctors to intervene before the condition progresses to invasive cancer.

"Pancreatic cancer remains so deadly largely because we find it after the window for cure has begun to close," said senior author Ajay Goel, chair of the Department of Molecular Diagnostics and Experimental Therapeutics at Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope in the US.

"For patients, these findings represent progress toward finding pancreatic cancer before symptoms appear and while more treatment options remain available," Goel said.

Pancreatic cancer is often difficult to detect early because it can develop silently for months or even years. When symptoms do appear, they can sometimes resemble those of less serious illnesses.

How does the PANXEON blood test work?

PANXEON analyses a blood sample for three pancreatic cancer markers: circulating microRNAs, exosomal microRNAs and the protein CA19-9.

Artificial intelligence is then used to combine the three measurements into a single score estimating a person's risk of pancreatic cancer.

According to the researchers, PANXEON is the first test of its kind to combine all three biomarkers in a single assessment.

The experimental test was evaluated in nearly 1,800 patients from the US, Italy, Japan and South Korea. The international study was designed to assess whether findings from earlier research could be reproduced across different clinical settings.

The results were "very encouraging", with the test correctly detecting stage 1 and stage 2 pancreatic cancer in 87 per cent of cases, the researchers said.

The false-positive rate was three per cent among low-risk groups and 16 per cent among high-risk groups.

Could the blood test replace scans?

Researchers said PANXEON is not intended to replace imaging or other diagnostic procedures.

Instead, it could potentially help identify people at higher risk who may need further testing and clinical evaluation.

The authors "present a composite biomarker that may complement existing strategies for the detection of early-stage PDAC (pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma) and warrants further large-scale prospective studies."

The test also showed potential in identifying high-grade dysplasia among people with high-risk pancreatic cysts.

"PANXEON demonstrates potential for detecting high-grade dysplasia in individuals with high-risk pancreatic cysts (64.3 per cent)," the researchers said.

According to the team, the finding could help doctors determine which pancreatic cysts need closer monitoring or intervention before they develop into invasive cancer.