At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, an interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists have developed a test to detect a year ahead lung cancer cells in a tiny sample of blood
Early Detection Testing
Research and scientists from the Hutchinson Center and University of Michigan have developed a new “early-detection” test to detect lung cancer. The test is based in detecting immune-system markers and it is said to be able to diagnose the presence of lung cancer cells up to one year before symptoms appear.
The Study
The study has been published online at the Journal of Clinical Oncology web site and is titled “Occurrence of antoantibodies to annexin 1, 14-3-3 theta and LAMR1 in pre-diagnostic lung cancer sera” Samir M. Hanash, M.D., Ph.D led the study.
The approach of this new test is similar to a common HIV-test. The human body reacts to strange matters in it by producing immune substance that can be isolated and detected. As with the HIV, were specific antigens, or proteins can be detected before the HIV symptoms appear, tumors in the lung also produce antigens in the early stages of development.
Researchers analyzed blood samples from 85 current or former smokers who developed cancer within a year and blood samples from 85 current or former smokers who did not develop lung cancer. Those blood samples were tested for three biomarkers suspected to be linked to early stages of lung cancer development. Those biomarkers are known annexin1 and 14-3-3 theta, and LAMR1.
The Results
The 3 biomarkers combined were present in more than half of the participants who developed cancer (51%). False-positives rate was 18%, which means that almost 20% of the control group (the one who did not developed cancer) also tested positive.
Authors believe that if a few other biomarkers can be added to the original three studied by them the results of the test could be better at diagnosing the lung cancer disease and false positives could be reduced.
Also, they think this new blood test should be used in conjunction with traditional imaging techniques (CT scans), to increase the changes of the early detection of lung cancer tumors, especially in those groups of people with at high risk.
The Ultimate Goal
Identifying biomolecules (protein, DNA) that can detect earlier lung cancer as a screen test for this disease is the ultimate goal of this and many other research groups. Detecting earlier lung cancer increases the chances of curing the diseases. This is true not only for lung cancer but for other cancer types such as colon, breast, prostate, and ovary cancer. Similar tests could be devised for these other types of cancers.