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Nature 442, 736-738 (17 August 2006) | doi:10.1038/442736a; Published online 16 August 2006

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Cancer: Caught in time

Laura Spinney1

  1. Laura Spinney is a science writer based in London and Paris.

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The detection of cancer at an early stage in its development can be life-saving. With research efforts under way to find better methods to detect minuscule tumours, Laura Spinney finds out how near some of these cancer 'biomarkers' are to the clinic.

When it comes to halting cancer, nobody disputes the value of early detection. Dr George Papanicolaou's smear test, which measures changes in the cervical lining, is a testament to the importance of screening.