Scientists discover blood proteins linked to lung cancer

US researchers have identified proteins in the blood of lung cancer sufferers whose concentration rises prior to the development of deadly disease.

This discovery could be the key to developing a blood test for early detection of the malignancy, long before the onset of symptoms when cure rates are highest.

Lung cancer causes the highest number of cancer deaths in the United States. It claims more lives annually, than colon cancer, prostate cancer, lymph and breast cancers combined.

Blood test to confirm protein percentage
According to experts, early detection of lung cancer is crucial for long-term survival. Most malignancies can be cured if they're detected early and immediate treatment is started, whereas success rates for late-stage cancer cures are about 10 percent.

Experts, theorize that if the blood test is used along with imaging techniques, such as CT scans, it will not only contribute to an early diagnosis of lung cancer but also detect malignancies the scan missed.

Lead author of the study, Dr Samir Hanash from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle stated, “There is a substantial need for simple, non-invasive means to detect lung cancer.

“While imaging-based screening to detect lung cancer has shown promise, blood-based diagnostics provide a complementary means for detection, disease classification, and monitoring for cancer progression and regression.”

Extensive protein analysis
In an extensive protein analysis on genetically engineered mice, the researchers found proteins biomarkers linked to early development of lung cancer.

They then delved into whether the finding also applies to the early developmental stages of the disease in humans.

The investigators found the same protein signatures in the human lung cancer cells.

Hanash stated, "A major feature of this study was that we were able to replicate findings from mouse models of lung cancer in blood samples from humans with lung cancer both at the time of diagnosis and, importantly, prior to the onset of symptoms and diagnosis.

"Our data showed that the protein markers that were tested showed similar concordance between lung cancer in the mouse and lung cancer in humans.

He added, "This means that developing a blood test to detect lung cancer is increasingly within reach.”

The findings have been published in the journal Cancer Cell.