SCIENTISTS FIND A BLOOD TEST THAT PREDICTS LUNG CANCER YEARS EARLY

SCIENTISTS FIND A BLOOD TEST THAT PREDICTS LUNG CANCER YEARS EARLY

Why in the News?

  • Major Discovery: Scientists led by the Francis Crick Institute, London identified a 14-protein signature in blood plasma that can predict lung cancer years before diagnosis.
  • Published Study: The findings were published in the journal Cell and were based on data from the U.K. Biobank.
  • Preventive Potential: Researchers also identified Canakinumab, an anti-inflammatory drug, as a potential therapy to reduce future lung cancer risk.

14-PROTEIN SIGNATURE: KEY FINDINGS

  • Blood Biomarker: The 14-protein signature consists of specific blood plasma proteins associated with future lung cancer development.
  • Early Detection: The machine-learning model successfully identified over 75% of future lung cancer cases, with a median diagnosis period of 5.1 years later.
  • Inflammation Link: The signature becomes stronger when smoking-induced or air-pollution-induced inflammatory pathways are activated.
  • Validation: The protein signature was confirmed across eight additional datasets, including non-smokers.
  • Risk Prediction: It offers a promising pathway for predictive diagnostics and targeted prevention strategies.

UK BIOBANK AND PROTEOMICS

  • UK Biobank: It is a large-scale biomedical database tracking nearly 5 lakh volunteers to study disease patterns and risk factors.
  • Proteomics: It is the large-scale study of the complete set of proteins (proteome) present in biological samples.
  • Liquid Biopsy: Blood plasma analysis acts as a liquid biopsy, providing real-time information about health and disease.
  • Machine Learning Use: Researchers combined proteomics data with demographic and clinical information to identify predictive markers.
  • Medical Importance: Proteomics is increasingly used for early disease detection, precision medicine, and drug discovery.

LUNG CANCER

●  Definition: Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the lungs, often leading to tumour formation.

●  Major Causes: Key risk factors include tobacco smoking, air pollution, occupational exposure, and genetic susceptibility. Industrial activities without proper environmental clearances and environmental impact assessment contribute significantly to air pollution-related lung cancer cases.

●  Global Burden: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), lung cancer causes around 1.8 million deaths annually.

●  Symptoms: Common symptoms include persistent cough, chest pain, breathlessness, weight loss, and coughing blood.

●  Prevention: Avoiding smoking, reducing pollution exposure through promoting a pollution free environment, implementing strict EIA notification procedures, enforcing retrospective environmental clearances where needed, early screening, and timely treatment remain the most effective preventive measures. The principles of environmental democracy and ex post facto regulatory compliance ensure that industrial polluters are held accountable, aligning with post facto environmental governance frameworks.