By Lucy Quinton Lung cancer treatment received a boost after researchers revealed details of a new ...
By Lucy Quinton
Lung cancer treatment received a boost after researchers revealed details of a new test that can track down a protein that is present in the blood of people with the disease.
Researchers at Panacea Pharmaceuticals said a protein has been found in blood that they believe to be linked to all stages of lung cancer, adding that it rarely shows up in the blood of people without the disease.
A test for the protein could potentially help doctors decide whether smokers or others at high risk of lung cancer should be referred for lung imaging. The benefit of this finding will enable doctors to help identify individuals with lung cancer at a stage when treatment is more effective.
The protein, Human Aspartyl beta-Hydroxylase (HAAH), can be found on the surface of the cancer cells as opposed to normal cells where it lives inside the cell body.
Dr Kat Arney, senior science information officer at Cancer Research UK, said: "Many researchers around the world are trying to find molecules that may alert us to the presence of different types of cancer. Although larger studies will show if HAAH is suitable as a screening test for lung cancer, these early results are certainly interesting."
The past month has also seen the launch of a genetic test called the Progensa test, which detects signs of prostate cancer in urine by measuring the activity of a gene closely linked to prostate cancer.
This is in contrast to an unreliable test that measures raised levels of a specific protein in the blood. However, as it is costly, it is rumoured to be available only for people with a strong family history of the disease.
Meanwhile, tangerine peel has been found to kill human cancer cells, according to researchers at the Leicester School of Pharmacy. Tangerine peel has been found to contain a natural compound, Salvestrol Q40, that can effectively kill certain cancer cells.
