New Blood Test Can Detect Lung Cancer In Real Time For Earlier Diagnosis And Faster Treatment

A new blood test can detect lung cancer in real time, enabling earlier diagnosis, quicker treatment, reduced delays, and improved survival outcomes for patients.

The UK researchers have developed a new type of blood test that can revolutionise the method of detecting and monitoring lung cancer. The test has the potential to identify lung cancer cells flowing in the system of human blood in real time, thus providing a chance to detect lung cancer earlier, make decisions about its treatment faster, and positively impact its patients.

A Breakthrough in Lung Cancer Detection

This new method has been invented by a research team comprising the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM), Keele University and Loughborough University and can identify even a single cell of lung cancer in a blood sample. This is a big step since lung cancer is mostly identified at an advanced stage in which there is little to be done.

The new technique is a Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) microspectroscopy technique with computer-based analysis. Doctors can also figure out lung cancer through the blood with a simple test which can replace the complex and invasive procedures used currently.

What Are Circulating Tumour Cells?

When cancer increases, certain cancer cells will detach themselves from the primary tumour and be taken into the bloodstream. They are referred to as circulating tumour cells (CTCs). The significance of CTCs is that they give hints on the way in which the disease is progressing and the effectiveness of a therapy. They also contribute to spreading cancer to other body parts, which is referred to as metastasis.

These cells are, however, not easily detected. CTCs are highly infrequent, and they tend to alter their characteristics as they circulate in the blood, thus becoming difficult to detect by existing methodologies.

How This New Blood Test Works?

The newly innovated method involves the use of an infrared beam on a blood sample. It is a similar light to the infrared light that is used on a television remote control except that it is significantly more powerful and concentrated.

The infrared light will be absorbed differently on the body by different chemicals in the body. The characteristics of absorption of cancer cells are a distinctive pattern called a chemical fingerprint. When the light is passed through the blood sample, the infrared light cannot be reflected to the cancer cells, but the normal cells reflect the rays differently.

This data is then read in by advanced computer analysis and then expeditiously shows whether the presence of circulating tumour cells exists in the blood or not.

Why This Test Is a Game Changer?

With the research led by Professor Josep Sule-Suso, Associate Specialist in Oncology at UHNM, the research has the potential to enable patients to have early diagnoses, tailored therapies, and less invasive procedures. As compared to the existing methods of CTC detection, which tend to be costly and time-intensive, the technique is less complex and cheaper.

The second great benefit is that it works with standard glass slides, which are available in most pathology laboratories. It can be more easily integrated into daily clinical practice without significant alterations to existing systems.

What Happens Next?

The researchers will establish this method through trials in larger populations of patients. They will aim at creating a fast and automated blood test, which can easily become a part of the cancer care process. One can also expect that in the future, this same technology can be modified to be used to detect any form of cancer and not only lung cancer.

With some success, this innovation would be a breakthrough in the approach to diagnosing and following cancer, and, in that case, care would be more efficient, easier, and quicker.

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