Key Takeaways

A new blood test can detect head and neck cancers years before symptoms appear

The test looks for DNA released into the bloodstream by HPV-related tumors

The test returned positive for 27 of 28 blood samples from future cancer patients, and negative for 28 samples from healthy people

FRIDAY, Sept. 12, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A new blood test can potentially detect head and neck cancers caused by human papilloma virus ( HPV ) up to 10 years before symptoms appear, a new study says.

The test, called HPV-DeepSeek, detects microscopic fragments of HPV DNA that have broken off from a tumor and entered the bloodstream, researchers reported Sept. 10 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute .

If validated, this could become the first screening test available for HP

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