Early Prediction, Prevention Hope
New Research Identifies Blood Proteins Predicting Lung Cancer Years Before Diagnosis
Scientists have found a set of proteins in the blood that can predict lung cancer more than five years before a diagnosis. The discovery, published in Nature Communications, was made by a team of over 80 researchers working across four continents and validated in eight independent data sets from around the world.
Researchers also found early evidence that an existing anti-inflammatory drug could cut lung cancer risk significantly in people with high levels of these proteins. Lung cancer kills roughly 1.8 million people every year, more than any other cancer, according to the World Health Organization.
Blood Proteins Flag Cancer Risk Five Years Early
The team, led by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), screened 361 proteins in blood samples from long-running health studies. They identified a specific panel of proteins whose levels rise years before any tumor appears. The findings were confirmed across eight data sets, including the UK Biobank and the EPIC study — a large European nutrition and cancer cohort.
Dr. Hilary Robbins, a senior author at IARC, said the goal is practical. "This study is a step toward a simple blood test that could be used to triage people for further screening or even to identify candidates for preventive therapies," she told The Guardian. No commercial test is available yet. The next step is a clinical trial that uses the protein panel to make real-time decisions for patients.
Why Proteins Beat DNA for Early Cancer Detection
Earlier attempts at a lung cancer blood test focused on DNA mutations. But DNA signals are often too faint in early-stage cancer to be useful. This research shifted to proteomics — the study of proteins. Proteins change their levels in response to inflammation and early tumor growth, giving researchers a much stronger signal to detect, according to Science Daily.
Current screening relies on low-dose CT scans. These scans work, but they produce many false positives — flagging harmless tissue as potentially cancerous. They also require hospital visits, which limits how many high-risk people actually get screened. A simple blood test could reach far more people.
A 67% Drop in Cancer Cases Points to an Old Drug
The drug connection started with a surprise. A 2017 heart disease trial called CANTOS tested canakinumab, an anti-inflammatory drug made by Novartis. Researchers noticed that patients on high doses had 67% fewer lung cancer cases, according to The Lancet. That result led scientists to look more closely at inflammation-linked proteins as the biological link.
The IARC team now believes canakinumab could one day be used to prevent lung cancer in high-risk people. But there is a major barrier. The drug currently costs an estimated $15,000 to $20,000 per patient per year, according to The Pharmaceutical Journal. That price makes a broad public health rollout extremely difficult.
Experts Urge Caution Before Rushing to Clinics
The medical community is cautiously optimistic. Experts warn about over-diagnosis — the risk that people with high-risk protein levels may never actually develop life-threatening cancer. Putting healthy people on powerful anti-inflammatory drugs also carries risks, including a suppressed immune system and higher infection rates, specialists at The ASCO Post have noted.
Global health advocates raise a separate concern. The lab equipment needed to process proteomic blood samples is mostly found in wealthy countries. IARC researchers acknowledge there is a real risk that this breakthrough could widen the survival gap between rich and developing nations. Dr. Paul Brennan, the study's lead author, stressed the long-term vision: "Our findings provide a potential way to identify those at highest risk years before the disease manifests."
Sentiment
NeutralPublishers
5
Articles
5
Reach
5
