Blood test 'finds brain tumours'

Tiny fatty balls ejected by cancer cells into the bloodstream have been used to detect deadly brain tumours, US researchers report.

The spheres, known as microvesicles, share the unique characteristics of the cancer cells they come from, but are much easier to get hold off.

A study, published in Nature Medicine, showed a test could detect tumours in mice and human patients.

The researchers say the spheres could also be used see if drugs are working.

Cells, including cancerous ones, do not exist in isolation. They package up bits of themselves in small balls of fat which then circulate around the body in order to transport goods and communicate with other cells.

Researchers are interested in the microvesicles as a way of testing for cancer and it has already been suggested they could be used to detect prostate cancer in urine.