EARLY DIAGNOSIS SAVES LIVES
Simple blood test could spot deadly lung cancer BEFORE it disease starts growing
Lung cancer is the biggest cause of preventable cancer-related deaths because it's often detected too late
LUNG cancer could be detected much earlier using a simple blood test, experts say.
Scientists found that as the devastating disease spreads it sheds its own DNA into the blood, which could help detect it in its earliest stages.
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Scientists at the University of Cambridge said it's possible the new test could help predict tumours in the lungs, before they turn cancerous.
Lung cancer is the number of cause cancer-related deaths around the world - largely down to the fact that it's really hard to detect early enough to treat.
In many cases, by the time it's been diagnosed it's too late and has spread to other parts of the body.
As with most cancers, the earlier you catch it, the easier it is to treat - and the more positive the prognosis.
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Scientists at the MRC Toxicology Unit, part of the University of Cambridge, alongside scientists at the University of Leicester used mice with a gene modelling the pre-cancerous stages of lung cancer.
They took regular CT scans to monitor the development of small pre-cancerous lung tumours in the mice.
To test whether circulating DNA could be used to detect tumours before they became malignant, the scientists took blood samples along wiht the CT scans at different times.
Symptoms of lung cancer
43,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer each year in the UK, making it the second most common cancer.
While suffering from a lingering cough, feeling tired and losing your appetite could be caused by a virus or common cold, it may be the sign of something more serious and is worth getting checked out.
Other symptoms of lung cancer can include:
- having a cough most of the time
- a change in a cough you have had for a long time
- being short of breath
- coughing up phlegm which has signs of blood
- aches or pains in the chest or shoulder
- loss of appetite
- tiredness
- unintended weight loss
They found that the mice developing cancerous lung tumours had higher lvels of circulating DNA compared with healthy mice.
The levels of DNA released by the cancerous tumours into the blood of the mice correlated with the size of the tumours seen on the scans.
The circulating DNA was tehn tested to see if it contained the mutation that causes tumours to develop and the scientists foudn that in later stages of tumour development where tumours were still pre-cancerous, the mutation could still be detected in circulating DNA.
"This observation is exciting because it suggests that tumour-causing mutations may be detectable in circulating DNA from patients with early-stage cancers or with pre-cancerous tumours", says Dr Miguel Martins, a programme leader at the MRC Toxicology Unit and lead author of the study.
He said that more research needed to be done, with similar studies being needed to get a better idea of whether circulating DNA has potenial future use for early cancer detection in patients.
MORE ON LUNG CANCER
Dr Mariana Delfino-Machin, Programme Manager for Cancer at the MRC, which funded the research, added "This is a really promising piece of early-stage research.
"Lung cancer is incredibly difficult to diagnose at the stage where it can be successfully treated, leading to a poor rate of survival.
"Developing early detection strategies to improve survival rates is key, and if this can be achieved using only a blood sample it would greatly benefit patients and the NHS. We look forward to the results of the next stages of this research."
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