A 10-minute saliva test for cancer that scientists claim could revolutionize diagnosis has been unveiled in the United States.
The $22 "liquid biopsy" test looks for fragments of genetic material in a tiny drop of saliva, according to the Press Association.
Early results from lung cancer patients suggest it has "near-perfect" accuracy, according to the scientist whose team developed the system.
Professor David Wong of the University of California at Los Angeles, said: "We need less than one drop of saliva and we can turn the test around in 10 minutes. It can be done in a doctor's office while you wait.
"Early detection is crucial. Any time you gain in finding out that someone has a life-threatening cancer, the sooner the better. With this capability, it can be implemented by the patient themselves in a home check, or dentist or pharmacy."
Speaking in the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington D.C., Prof. Wong hoped the test, due to be investigated in trials with lung cancer patients in China later this year, could be available in the UK and Europe by the end of the decade.
"Eventually, it could be used to diagnose a range of cancers," he said.
The team came up with the test after discovering that saliva contained fragments of the genetic messenger molecule RNA linked to cancer.
"Down the road, it might be possible to test for multiple cancers at the same time," said Prof. Wong.
