A U.S. research team has made progress toward creating a biomarker blood test that can detect esophageal cancer on the early side, a major need in order to combat the lethal disease. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the scientists have zeroed in on four proteins connected with the emergence of esophageal cancer. Esophageal cancer is often hard to detect until it is well advanced and has a high fatality rate. While more research is needed, the hope is that a blood test could screen for those four proteins and enable early detection and treatment. Researchers from the Allegheny Health Network, the University of Pittsburgh, Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY, and Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam pursued the research. Details are published in the journal Cancer. Story | Abstract