New blood test detects HPV-linked head and neck cancer with unmatched accuracy
A new liquid biopsy blood test could help detect cases of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated head and neck cancers with significantly higher accuracy than currently used methods, including before patients develop symptoms, according to new Mass General Brigham research.
The researchers at Mass Eye and Ear, a member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, found that the blood-based diagnostic test they developed called HPV-DeepSeek achieved 99% sensitivity and 99% specificity for diagnosing cancer at the time of first clinical presentation, including for the very earliest stages of disease. This higher accuracy significantly outperforms current standard-of-care methods, including other commercially available liquid biopsy assays. The study is published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250520/New-blood-test-detects-HPV-linked-head-and-neck-cancer-with-unmatched-accuracy.aspx
