Apollo hospital has launched a one of its kind, a blood test that can detect breast cancer at a very early stage. It was launched on Wednesday and made available by Datar Cancer Genetics, a private company working with the Apollo hospital group. According to reports, the blood test can help in the early detection of breast cancer for people over 40 years of age. This is an innovative diagnostic technique that has been adopted by 15 countries, including several countries in Europe. 

According to the expert team, this blood test is 99 percent accurate. Further, they also stated that When women′s breast cancer is detected at an early stage, it can be treated effectively, resulting in increased life expectancy and fewer treatment problems. 

The blood test had been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and US Food and Drug Administration in November last year after showing benefits in larger clinical trials. The doctors stated the study showed that stage 0 and stage 1 breast cancer cases were detected with an accuracy of 99 percent. Meanwhile, The test is marketed as EasyCheck Breast and costs Rs 6,000. The technology claims to have a sensitivity of almost 99%, meaning it has less than 1% of false-positive reports, with a specificity of more than 88%, meaning that in about 22% of cases there is the possibility of a false negativity outcome. 

“This is the first time in India that Apollo Centers, in partnership with Datar Cancer Genetics, is launching this non-invasive blood test that can detect early-stage breast cancer in asymptomatic individuals with high accuracy. This will help us save lives and maintain quality of life," said Sangeetha Reddy, JMD, Apollo Hospitals.