A US STUDY has found that early-stage lung and prostate cancers as well as their recurrence can be detected with a simple blood test as new markers have been identified.

Serum-free fatty acids and their metabolites may be used as screening biomarkers to help diagnose early stages of cancer, as well as identify the probability of recovery and recurrence after tumour removal, researchers found.

“While cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, diagnosis at the early stages of cancer remains challenging,” said Jinbo Liu, lead study author. “In this study, we identified compounds that appear to be new screening biomarkers in cancer diagnosis and prognosis.”

The study looked at blood samples from 55 patients with lung cancer and 40 patients with prostate cancer and compared them to blood samples of people without cancer. In a second phase of the study, blood was examined preoperatively from 24 patients scheduled for curative lung cancer surgery and again at six and 24 hours after the surgery.

The cancer patients had one- to six-times greater concentrations of serum-free fatty acids and their metabolites in their blood than patients without cancer. In the second phase, the serum-free fatty acid concentrations decreased by three to 10 times within 24 hours after tumour removal surgery.

“This is an exciting first step to having an uncomplicated way to detect early stages of lung, prostate and perhaps other cancers,” said Daniel I Sessler, chair of the Outcomes Research Department at Cleveland Clinic. which conducted the study. “It could also be used to measure the success of tumour resection surgery, immediately after surgery and long-term for recurrence screening.”

Read: Cancer cost Ireland €1.447 billion in 2009>

Read: Global survey shows advanced breast cancer patients are battling isolation>

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More