Lung cancer test may show signs of disease years before scan
- Antibodies are produced by the immune system during the early stages
- The best hope for successful lung cancer treatment is to detect it early
- But screening patients at high-risk for antibodies could save many lives
Stephen Matthews For Mailonline
1
View
comments
A simple blood test could allow doctors to spot signs of lung cancer five years before the disease even shows on medical scans.
Antibodies are produced by the immune system during the early stages of lung cancer, a study found.
Screening patients at high-risk for the antibodies could potentially save many lives, experts believe.
Antibodies are produced by the immune system during early stages of lung cancer, Scottish researchers found
Researchers from the University of Dundee recruited 12,000 adults aged between 50 and 75 who were considered at high risk of lung cancer.
They all had either smoked heavily for 20 years or more or had a history of the disease in their family.
Half were given the antibody blood test while the rest received standard forms of diagnosis and care.
Of around 6,000 patients screened, around one in 10 tested positive for the antibodies.
-
Baby boomers are at risk of heart disease and diabetes as a…
Doctors perform surgery on fetus in the womb at 32 weeks…
‘It’s been a dream come true’: Mother of conjoined twin…
Why a deep breath is SO good: One strong inhale through the…
From this group, 207 were found to have lung nodules – lumps of tissue in the organ that may be cancerous or benign.
So far, chest X-rays and computed tomography have confirmed 16 cases of lung cancer – three quarters at an early stage.
Dr Stuart Schembri, who co-led the research, said: ‘Lung cancer is a serious and life-threatening illness and our best hope for successful treatment is to detect it as early as possible.
Heavy smokers are particularly at risk of lung cancer. Previous research has found quitting smoking at any age can lower the chances of developing the disease
‘Heavy smokers are particularly at risk, but it is just not possible to scan everyone who is considered high risk.
‘And within those who are scanned, a CT scan alone can falsely suggest lung cancer or pick up incidental, non-clinically relevant findings, causing unnecessary worry and expense.
‘We therefore need to find a way to identify which of the people at high-risk need a scan and a way to detect lung cancer before patients present with symptoms.
‘This test allows us to scan from a much more informed position and removes the stress around many patients unnecessarily having to go through a CT scan.
‘But most importantly, we feel it may help us to detect lung cancer in its earliest stages when we have an improved chance of successful treatment.’
The scientists are now monitoring the progress of the study participants over two years to see if the test can reduce the incidence of late-stage lung cancer.
Each year, more than 46,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK and in excess of 35,500 die from the disease – Britain’s biggest cancer killer.
Share or comment on this article
-
e-mail
-
Leonardo DiCaprio sneaks into Trump Tower for meeting with…
-
‘Catwoman’ Jocelyn Wildenstein, 76, is arrested after…
-
Kate wears Diana’s favorite tiara as the Royal Family pose…
-
Jumpin’ Jack Dash! Mick Jagger, 73, catches last-minute…
-
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Catwoman’ Jocelyn Wildenstein seen in her…
-
Rider, 22, who took selfie with skeletal ex-racehorse she…
-
Horrifying moment German thug kicks a woman in the back…
-
Nevada student, 14, who swung a knife at his classmates…
-
Pomp and ceremony: We reveal the history and grandeur of the…
-
I ‘absolutely’ suffered racism in office, says Obama: Some…
-
Solomon Islanders escape tsunami warning without major…
-
Patriots star Julian Edelman finally acknowledges baby he…
Comments (1)
Share what you think
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Find out now