Killer T cells surround a cancer cell.

(National Institutes of Health)

At a Glance

The test can distinguish between DNA from cancer cells and DNA from healthy cells.It was up to 90 percent accurate in tests of 200 samples.The test has detected four types of cancer, but researchers expect it to work for any form of the disease.

Researchers from the University of Queensland have developed an inexpensive test that can detect traces of cancer in the bloodstream in as few as 10 minutes.

"This new discovery could be a game-changer in the field of point of care cancer diagnostics," Dr. Abu Sina, a member of research team, said.

Cancer forms when mutations cause genes to alter the way cells function. That happens naturally when cells replicate or it can be caused by , according to the National Cancer Institute.

All cells — healthy or cancerous — constantly renew and die. That process releases tiny bits of DNA that circulate in the blood.

The Queensland scientists discovered that the DNA released by cancer cells sticks to metal according to a report by the Guardian. The in the journal Nature Communications.

The DNA is put into water with gold nanoparticles. Even though it's gold, the water looks pink. If cancer DNA is added, the water remains pink. If it's healthy DNA, the water turns blue.

"This happens in one drop of fluid," said chemistry professor Matt Trau, who led the research team. "You can detect it by eye, it's as simple as that."

The test has been used to detect breast, prostate and colon cancer and lymphoma. According to a news release from the university, in tests involving 200 human cancer samples and normal DNA.

"Virtually every piece of cancerous DNA we examined had this highly predictable pattern," Trau said. "It seems to be a general feature for all cancer. It's a startling discovery."

The next step is to work toward clinical trials with patients who have a wider range of cancers than those that have been tested so far.

“A major advantage of this technique is that it is very cheap and extremely simple to do, so it could be adopted in the clinic quite easily,” Laura Carrascosa, another member of the Queensland team, told the Guardian.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University earlier this year announced they had developed a blood test to , CNN reported. The test, called CancerSEEK, was shown to detect the presence of common tumors of the ovary, liver, stomach, pancreas, esophagus, colorectum, lung and breast, . The study's authors said the next step is more research and widespread testing in patients.