Researchers Find Molecules That May Lead to Blood Testing for Lung Cancer
Researchers Find Molecules That May Lead to Blood Testing for Lung Cancer
Principal researcher, Dr. Carlo M. Croce; professor of molecular virology, immunology, and medical genetics; and director of the Human Cancer Genetics program; has helped in this recent discovery of the molecule called microRNA (MiRNA). This molecule appears in lung cancer patients' blood in various patterns that may be able to indicate a future lung cancer tumor, the degree of illness, and risk.
"Our goal was to identify biomarkers that could predict tumor development and prognosis to improve lung-cancer diagnosis and treatment," Croce says. "Overall, these findings strengthen the observation that circulating miRNA in plasma is detectable well before clinical disease detection by spiral CT, indicating the possibility of identifying high-risk patients on the basis of miRNA profiling."
Cancer, in any form, is the heart-stopping, fear birthing word of our lifetime. Doctors and patients alike are quickly trapped within, in most cases, a fatal battle. Lung cancer is one of the least funded and highly fatal forms of cancer. Unfortunately, because many lung cancer cases are caused by personal decisions to smoke, the treatment and research is limited. However, 21,000 people die from radon induced lung cancer every year. These are people who may have never been a smoker nor heavily influenced by a smoker. For these people, any research and medical help is necessary as is for all unsuspecting cancer diagnoses.
A recent issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published an article regarding some researchers' identification of blood molecules that could lead to a blood test for lung cancer!
Radon induced lung cancer is very real, as are the effects of this heinous disease. Although this comes as a surprise to many and serves as a great advance in cancer research, in no way does this molecule change the influence we can have over radon induced lung cancer. By simply testing our homes for radon, workplaces, and schools, we too can affect the number of those falling prey to radon induced lung cancer.
Contact a radon contractor near you for radon testing and for radon abatement services. With the proper radon mitigation system and maintenance, you can gain peace of mind that you have done one of the most valuable preventive measures instated against the inception of radon induced lung cancer.
