In 90 minutes, a new rapid blood test can detect the early stages of lung cancer with high accuracy, according to a new study.
The blood test, called Lung Cancer Artificial Intelligence Detector (LCAID), has been developed by researchers at the Peking University People’s Hospital in China, and their research has been documented in a study published by the peer-reviewed journal, Science Translational Medicine. The study shows that the LCAID can detect early stages of lung cancer in individuals and lower an individual’s mortality risk with 90 percent accuracy.
“The accuracy and high specificity of LCAID might help improve the detection and screening of lung cancer and consequently reduce unnecessary exposure to radiation and invasive diagnostic procedures,” the study’s lead author Jun Wang told Medical News Today.
“Notably, most patients with lung cancer included in this study were at Stage I, and over 90 percent of them were correctly classified by LCAID.”
Researchers performed lung plasma lipidomic profiling in which they examined the lipids from plasma in the blood test and were able to find dysregulation in lipids in individuals with early stages of lung cancer.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths, making up 23 percent of all cancer deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Finding lung cancer in its early stages is imperative to prevent worsening conditions and death. According to the American Lung Association, the survival rate for lung cancer when it is only localized in the lungs is 56 percent, but only 16 percent of cases are diagnosed at an early stage.
The current recommended lung cancer screening, low dose computed tomography — also known as low-dose CT scans — has a high false-positive rate. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, more than 97 percent of positive results of low-dose CT scans were false positives. People who may not have lung cancer test positive in the low-dose CT scans, resulting in misdiagnosis and causing individuals to spend money on treatments and surgeries that they may not have needed.
The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends lung cancer screening for individuals who are between ages 50 to 80 years old who have 20 packs per year history, and who are either smoking now or have quit within the last 15 years.
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