Biomarker Identified in Lung Cancer Patients May Help Diagnose Mesothelioma
Researchers with the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute say they have identified a pattern in microRNA (miRNA) that when present in blood can lead to diagnosing lung cancer two years before CT scans can detect it. Early detection of pulmonary cancers such as lung cancer and mesothelioma can positively influence a patient’s survival by increasing treatment options and improving their quality of life while battling the cancer.
Most often a diagnosis of mesothelioma, an asbestos-related pulmonary cancer, or lung cancer is not made until symptoms appear and the disease has progressed to an advanced stage leaving the patient with life-threatening complications. Through the use of biomarkers, such as the abnormal patterns found in the miRNA, physicians may be able to diagnose lung cancer, and potentially mesothelioma, through a simple blood test.
According to principal investigator Dr. Carlo M. Croce, professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics, and director of the Human Cancer Genetics program, “These abnormal microRNAs were present in blood serum well before the tumors were detected by a sensitive method such as spiral CT scan, suggesting they might have strong predictive, diagnostic and prognostic potential.”
In addition to being able to distinguish diseased lung cells from healthy cells, the researchers, who targeted pack-a-day smokers, 50 years or older who had smoked for 20 years or more, identified “patterns of miRNAs that distinguished tumors with faster growth rates and that correlated with poor disease-free survival.”
The researchers found that this biomarker reflects the aggressiveness of mesothelioma, and can be used as a prognostic factor for the patients. The findings were reported in a recent issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Somalogic Inc., a Colorado-based company that develops diagnostic tools to detect rare diseases such as mesothelioma, has developed a biomarker test to detect early-stage mesothelioma that “can accurately identify proteins secreted from cancerous tumors caused by asbestos exposure.”
