Lung Cancer Detection Test Licensed
A new test to detect lung cancer designed by researchers in the Radiology Department at Duke University was licensed to the Laboratory Corporation of America. The financial terms of the licensing agreement were not released by either party.
The new test utilizes blood specimens to determine if patients have lung cancer. The test is designed for use in patients who have had positive findings on a CT study or chest x-ray, results of which are frequently false positives.
This new test offers a less invasive means to assess whether or not patients have lung cancer. The alternative approach that is currently used is lung biopsy, a minimally invasive test which carries significant risk.
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology indicates that use of the Duke test with a serum specimen detects the presence of four different proteins associated with lung cancer. Levels of these proteins have shown to be different in patients with lung cancer compared to those patients who are healthy, according to the study of 200 patients conducted by Duke researchers. It is a specific combination of the protein levels that is key in diagnosis, rather than one protein in isolation.
The test was 80 percent accurate in identifying those patients who had lung cancer, according to the study findings. Additional clinical trials to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the test are planned for the future by LabCorp and Duke University. The next planned evaluation will consider the levels of the four protein biomarkers in patients who have a lung masses noted on CT.
This test may also hold promise as a means to conduct general screening procedures. At present, there is no technique recommended to conduct lung cancer screening. Postings on HospitalBuyer have described benefits and concerns of using radiographic approaches for general screening, including both lung CT and x-ray. A blood-based screening test, alternatively, may be appropriate for use in general screening as a means to identify patients at high-risk who should undergo imaging for lung cancer screening.
January 23, 2008 Related topics: Laboratory, Mergers & Acquisitions, Diagnostic, Hematology & Oncology