Primary bone cancers are rare, and some GPs will never come across them. This means they are often misdiagnosed or diagnosed late when they are harder to treat successfully.
The SPEED study ('osteosarcoma pathology evaluation for early diagnosis'), led by Associate Professor Sarah Snelling (NDORMS), will harness the evaluation of patient samples to develop a greater understanding of vital clues which might lead to earlier diagnosis.
Jointly funded by The Bone Cancer Research Trust and Sarcoma UK, it aims to develop a blood test that could identify markers of osteosarcoma. In doing so, the team hope to create an accurate test that could prove a game-changer for early detection. Firstly, the group will investigate whether cancer-related markers can be detected from blood and tissue patient samples. Then, they will use artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure the dataset is fit for use. Ultimately, the team hope to develop a reliable and affordable test that could diagnose osteosarcoma earlier.
'It is really hard to diagnose bone sarcomas early because people often present with bone or joint pain, which isn't necessarily the first indication of disease,' explained Sarah. 'If you diagnose patients earlier, you're able to start treatment earlier, which can increase the options available.'