Blood Test May detect Early Lung Cancer with Genetic Fingerprinting
The medial science has been developing rapidly over the years but our erratic life style has also put our health into jeopardize. The number of people who smoke from a young age has increased with every passing year along with the number of death through Lung Cancer. American Cancer Society suggests about 160,000 Americans affected with lung cancer died in 2007.
This also makes Lung cancer a silent and fatal killer. Many patients were diagnosed at an advanced stage which proved fatal for these people. When the cancer spreads to the various other parts of the body, it becomes extremely difficult to cure it. the meager number of 15 in hundred live after five years after diagnosis.
The cause is also lack of care and alertness. Many of us most know that an early detection can always ensure that we cure the disease. At the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, some researchers presented the fact that an early and developing lung cancer can be detected by a simple blood test. This can be done even before the symptoms are noticed. At this point the detection leads to a relatively higher rate of cure.
The notion that every smoker will develop lung cancer is false, according to Thomas Zander, MD, University Clinic Cologne, Germany. Zander and his fellow researchers identified a set of about 154 genetic changes that the 13 smokers had while another 11 didn’t have these changes. They went ahead to check additional 35 smokers and crosschecked the results. The blood tests were able to predict p about 80% people who might develop lung cancer next two years.
According to Zander, detecting early cancer can lead to step up screening efforts and then finally to cure it with surgery, radiation or chemotherapy because after two years, it might be too late for cure. Zander also reported that more research needs to be put into this field.
Julie Gralow, MD & head, communications committee of ASCO and an eminent cancer researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, stated that though this research is in preliminary stage it is definitely very promising. She further explained that checking an RNA fingerprint through a blood test can further predict lung cancer.
David M. Johnson, MD, deputy director, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville opined that in his institution researchers are conducting a similar test along with the drug test for lung cancer cure with Avastin. He expects these researches to help cancer cure effective.
Edward S. Kim, MD & an assistant professor of thoracic head and neck medical oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston discussed that the use of popular painkiller Celebrex might be used to help prevent lung cancer. Celebrex was found to lower the levels of cancer biomarker known as Ki-67, which helps in cell proliferation. He however warned that the research is in the budding stage and patients should not start taking Celebrex to get rid of lung cancer.
The Celebrex study took 212 previous or current heavy smokers. Their biopsies were done once before the study and then at three months and six months interval. They were asked to take Cekebrex regularly with or without Placebo and at the end of the session, it was found that the people who too double doses of Celebrex, i.e. 400-milligram daily twice had relatively lower level of Ki-67.
The people who were taking Celebrex didn’t develop cardiac problems even though the drug has been said to increase risk of heart attacks as well as other cardiovascular diseases. The study also showed that Celebrex can be taken at a much higher dose of 800 milligrams per day. The fact is however, lower levels of Ki-67 can actually reduce the risk of developing the dreaded lung cancer is still under research.