Blood test may diagnose lung cancer
A blood test that detects nine compounds in blood may offer a safe way to diagnose early cases of lung cancer, Celera Corporation reported recently.
Such a test would allow quick treatment of lung cancer, which is usually not detected before it has spread, Celera, a newly independent division of Applera Corp. said in a statement.
The researchers tested people who had been diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer, which can often be cured, and found it detected the cancer with more than 90 percent accuracy.
The test uses a mass spectrometer to detect the nine compounds in the blood. Overall, they tested 103 patients with non-small-cell-lung cancer and smokers without the disease.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death globally, killing 1.2 million people a year. Most cases are diagnosed after the cancer has spread from the lung, when it cannot be cured.
Maryland-based Celera, founded by gene pioneer Craig Venter as a genetic discovery company, has re-branded itself as a maker of diagnostic tests.
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