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Lung Cancer blood test now available


Maryanne

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I am putting this in General but you can move it to wherever. I heard on my local news that there is now a blood test to detect LC in early stages. I am so excited for this breakthrough.

http://www.dotmed.com/news/story/12882/

Blood test could detect lung cancer up to five years before CT scans

June 04, 2010

by Brendon Nafziger, Writer

A blood test could detect about half of lung cancers up to five years before other tests, according to a team of British scientists.

In a series of papers to be presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago, the scientists from the company Oncimmune tout their "Early CDT-Lung Test" for finding around 40 percent of lung cancers years before they show up on CT scans.

The company hopes the test, commercially available in the United States starting Tuesday, will not only save lives by detecting cancer early, but drive down health care costs.

The test works by looking for antibodies, called auto-antibodies, which the body produces to combat cancer.

As Geoffrey Hamilton-Fairley, executive chairman of Oncimmune, explained to DOTmed News, cancer cells divide rapidly. During division, they release antigens that the body recognizes as foreign, which it combats with auto-antibodies.

"Everybody has a background count of these auto-antibodies," Hamilton-Fairley said, which actually increase as we age, possibly because our bodies are fighting off many less aggressive cancers successfully.

The research originated with John Robertson, a professor at the University of Nottingham. As part of their yearly check-up, his patients at high-risk for breast cancer had their blood drawn. If they came down with cancer, Robertson went back to their blood samples and retroactively tested them for the auto-antibodies, finding that over half of the cancers could have been found four years before diagnosis.

For the current test, patients have their blood samples mailed to Oncimmune's U.S. testing facility in De Soto, Kan., just outside Kansas City.

The researchers then choose a selection of around six antigens that they pass a patient's blood sample over. If auto-antibodies are present, they'll bind to the antigens. After doing this a few times for accuracy, researchers develop the patient's antigen "fingerprint." This fingerprint is then compared against a population cut-off to judge the patient's risk for developing cancer.

Eventually, physicians will compare a patient's fingerprint against those taken from previous years, and not just population cut-offs, for more accurate readings, Hamilton-Fairley said.

"We'll end up with your own individual antigen fingerprint," he said, "and you'll be able to compare that year by year, and over time you'll pay more attention if you stray from the personal profile."

For now, they recommend one test about every five years, but as the patient ages or if there are risk factors - specifically, smoking - doctors might look at it more often.

Continue reading Blood test could detect lung cancer up to five years before CT scans ...

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and they ahve been working on it for about 2-3 years I believe! Thats about when I started hearing about it!

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This is wonderful news, I especially liked the fact that they said...

[*]"Our scientific advisory board believed [lung cancer] had the biggest need. It's the biggest cancer killer by miles, and there's nothing else,"

Very refreshing.

Diane

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have been reading articles like this and hearing about this for years and keep asking my doctors and they all say it's not ready yet. I hope this means we are getting close. It will be an amazing breakthough!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Thank you, Maryanne, for this news. It will help so very many who are in flux about their status for this horrible disease.

I wish I were at the level of a few years ago - when my perceptions were more in tune.

So much has/had occurred with Bill and with me that I haven't been able to get back to where I was intellectually.

Thank you, again, dear.

Love you,

Barbara

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Thanks Maryanne, been in an RV site with no cable so missed that news.

Barbara, so good to see your pic. I love it! What you said about not being where you used to be intellectually really hit home with me. That's been weighing on my mind lately. Recently, I was bemoaning no TV or internet for less than a day and my husband asked why I didn't get a book and read. It was something I did a lot once upon a time ago...sigh.

Judy in KW

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Judy it is really a good deterrant to get into a good book. It could do wonders, it just takes you away from "your norm" and takes you to a different place altogether.

Reading to me is therapy... I could get lost in a book.

Me and Joel read on our porch each night (weather permitting) It is something we look forward to.

If you have problems focusing on reading you could try books on tape. All best sellers and other books are now on tape and that may be something you can consider.

I have plenty of books on tape, if you want I can send you some. Let me know...

Maryanne :wink:

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Maryanne, how nice of you to offer. What a lovely routine that you and Joel enjoy! I was an avid reader since I learned to read and was an English major for a while in college. I'd like to have a penny for all the books I donated to charity or gave to used book store owners. I think I just need to take more time to browse the bookstore to find something that holds my interest. I have several I bought and never finished. I'm determined to get thru Lion Among Men. I loved Wicked and enjoyed Son of a Witch but this third book is taking me FOREVER.

I tried a couple of books on tape but it doesn't work for me. I have to see the words on the page or I just drift off. I'm afraid I might not do well with those electronic books either. Books were birthday and Christmas gifts for as far back as I can remember as a kid. Think I might need that turning of pages. I'm so glad my grandson has my passion for reading. I love reading to him in bed at night--and he's eleven! We're not together too much but sometimes I buy two of the same and we read separately and talk about parts that interest us. Our all-time favorite was the Lowery trilogy beginning with The Giver. An awesome trio that probably most adults would enjoy.

Judy in KW

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