The main reason behind the increasing number of lung cancer patients is that it gets detected at a later stage where its cure becomes complicated. Had lung cancer been identified at an early stage, the chances of survival are very high. Around three quarters of the people with lung cancer experience symptoms when the cancer has already spread to other parts of the lungs or elsewhere in the body. The best way to cure lung cancer is to have it detected at the initial stage where it has not spread beyond the lung. Researchers are continuously being working to help in early detection of lung cancer. They have now identified a protein which could act as a biomarker and work to diagnose lung cancer at an early stage.
According to the study published in The American Journal of Pathology, high levels of cytoskeleton-associated protein 4 (CKAP4) have been identified in blood of lung cancer patients. The CKAP4 levels were significantly higher in patients as compared to healthy individuals. These levels are elevated in the blood of patients with stage I cancer. This diagnostic biomarker could change current practices in diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer.
Thus, CKAP4, the potential new diagnostic biomarker, is detectable in patients with stage I disease. The identification of patients at an early stage of cancer is important to improve prognosis. This new biomarker is considered better than current biomarkers. The current ones include sialyl Lewis X antigen (SLX), cytokeratin fragment (CYFRA), carcinoma embryonic antigen (CEA) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) antigen. But, these are not sensitive enough to detect tumors at early stage.
The information shared in this blog is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice.