The NYU Langone Medical Center scientists have studied how a Novel Protein test may detect asbestos-related pulmanory cancer at early stages.

Such type of test may accurately recognize protein secreted from cancerous tumor resulted from exposure of asbestos. This study was presented on April 4th, 2011 at the American Cancer Association annual conference.

In such blinded analysis done under National Cancer Institute Early Detection Research’s Sponsorship, scientists discovered fifteen of nineteen cases of stage one or stage two Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma. The research showed the test is about 80% sensitive in detected cancer. Additionally, the test’s specificity was 100% without false positives. Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma is an asbestos related, agressive pulmonary tumor, that progresses in the lung’s lining.  Every single year, such cancer affects about 15 to 20,000 people around the World.

The condition may be fatal during fourteen months after the person was diagnosed because of the severity. The new diagnostic test goal is to detect Mesothelioma Cancer at early stages to treat it effectively. Only individuals, who may benefit from Mesothelioma therapy are those who are detected at stage one, and this is only ten to fifteen percents of individuals.

However, when detected early, the operation magnitude is needed to decrease cancer’s burden making the person easier to cope, if the cancer recurs and the patient will require more aggressive treatments.

The scientists used Multiplex SOMAmer ASSAY to examine 170 samples of blood from ninety patients, who were diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and 80 individuals who were exposed to asbestos previously. Multiplex SOMAmer Assay by SOMALogic, inc modified the single-stranded DNA molecules chemically to bind to target proteins, to recognize and quantify biomarkers.

According to doctors, such type of test measures nineteen protein biomarkers in patients with malignant pleural Mesothelioma and is able to quantify and detect the small protein’s amount, secreted by cells of tumor.

This entry was filed under Health News.

Tags: american cancer association, health, malignant pleural mesothelioma, mesothelioma cancer, national cancer i, newsnstitute, nyu langone