From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. 這裡是VOA慢速英語健康生活報導。
Cancer is a leading cause of death around the world. 癌症是全球主要的致死疾病。
When it comes to cancer, the sooner you know you have it, the better your chances of surviving. 癌症這種疾病，發現的越早，其治癒率越高。
A new blood test could change the way doctors and researchers find cancer in patients. 最新一項血液檢查可以改變醫生及研究員檢查癌症的途徑。
Researchers say the test could provide clues to the early forms of the disease. 研究人員表示血液檢查能夠發現癌症早期的線索。
Scientists at the University of Swansea in Wales came up with the idea. 該方法是英國威爾斯大學斯旺西學院的科學家們提出的。
Gareth Jenkins is a professor at the university. 加雷斯·詹金斯（Gareth Jenkins）是該大學的教授。
He says he and his team did not look for cancer. They instead looked for a by-product of cancer. 他表示自己與團隊的研究目的並不是癌症，而是癌症帶來的影響。
They looked for, what Jenkins calls, the collateral damage of cancer—the damage left by the disease. 詹金斯表示，其研究的重點是癌症的間接傷害，即癌症帶來的後果。
In this case, the by-product was mutated red blood cells. 此處的影響是指發生變異的紅細胞。
「In this blood test we don’t measure the presence of cancer, 「我們進行血液檢查的目的不是因為癌症，
we measure the presence of mutated red blood cells which are the collateral damage that occurs—a by-product of the cancer developing.」 而是為了發生病變的紅細胞，而紅細胞正是癌症病變過程中引發的間接傷害。」
The researchers used normal laboratory equipment to perform the tests. 研究人員利用常規實驗儀器進行試驗。
This equipment looks for changes in the structure of millions of red blood cells. 他們利用儀器觀察無數紅細胞結構的變化。
Those mutated cells lack a surface protein that healthy cells normally have. 病變的紅細胞缺少正常紅細胞所擁有的表面蛋白。
「The essence of the test is looking for very rare cells which have picked up a mutation. 「血液檢查的核心在於檢測少量病變的細胞。
The numbers of mutated red blood cells in a healthy person are around 5 or so mutant cells per million; 身體健康的人體內每百萬細胞中約測出5個病變紅細胞。
so, you have to look at millions of red blood cells to detect those rare events. 因此，需要對數百萬紅細胞進行檢查才能發現這一罕見事件。
These numbers increase in cancer patients—they go up to 40 or 50 mutants on average.」 而癌症患者體內病變的紅細胞數量較多，平均約40到50個。」
The researchers tested blood from about 300 people, all of whom have cancer of the esophagus. 研究人員對300多位食管癌患者進行血檢。
Patients with esophageal cancer have high levels of mutated red blood cells. 食管癌患者體內的病變紅細胞數量較高。
Jenkins says that at this point he is not sure if other cancers would produce similar results. 詹金斯表示，尚不確定其他癌症患者是否也存在類似症狀。
「We』ve only been looking at esophageal cancer patients. 「我們僅對食管癌患者進行了檢查。
『Do other types of cancer patients have high levels of these mutant red blood cells as well?』 『其他癌症患者體內的病變紅細胞數量是否也較高？』
We don’t know the answer to that question at present.」 目前，我們還不清楚。」
The hope is that the new test and other non-invasive methods could one day become part of commonly used medical methods. 希望這一新型血檢及其他無創性檢查能夠成為常見的醫療方法。
He says that using a battery, or series, of tests will be the best way to find out if a person has cancer. 他表示一系列檢測方法將成為診斷患者是否患癌的最佳方法。
「A battery of tests, based on different principles looking at blood, looking at other bodily fluids—breath, urine 以觀察血液或其他體液（如呼出的水汽以及尿液等）為基礎進行的一些列試驗，
will be the best way of getting a comprehensive view of whether an individual might or might not have cancer.」 將成為全面檢查患者是否患癌的最佳方式。
These new technologies could save millions of lives. 這項新技術將挽救數百萬人的生命。
I’m Anna Matteo. 安娜·馬特奧為您播報。
詞彙解析：
1.A battery of 一系列
We give a battery of tests to each patient.
我們給每個病人都做了一系列的檢查。
2.esophageal cancer 食管癌
Cigarette smoking is a major cause of esophageal cancer in the United States.
在美國，吸菸是食管癌的主要元兇。
3.find out 發現
Would you call me as soon as you find out?
你一弄清楚了就給我打電話好嗎？
4.on average 平均
On average, American firms remain the most productive in the world.
平均來講，美國公司在全球範圍內還是產值最高。
內容解析：
1.Scientists at the University of Swansea inWales came up with the idea.
came up with 提出
I came up with this dumb idea
我想出了這個餿主意。
He came up with what seemed like a clever wheeze.
他提出了一個看起來還不錯的主意。
2.When it comes to cancer, the sooner you know you have it, the better your chancesof surviving.
When it comes to 提到；就...而論
When it comes to photography, I'm not an adept.
要說照相，我不是內行。
They are inexperienced when it comes to decorating.
說到裝修，他們就沒有什麼經驗了。
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