Scientists have identified biological changes in apparently normal airway tissue that could potentially predict the development of lung cancer
Islamabad (Pakistan Point News / Online - 26th April, 2019) Scientists have identified biological changes in apparently normal airway tissue that could potentially predict the development of lung cancer. The changes alter gene and cell activity in the immune system.A team from Boston University school of Medicine in Massachusetts led the study that made these findings.The researchers examined samples of precancerous lesions from the airway tissues of people who smoke or used to smoke.
The team followed the individuals for a number of years to see whose lesions became cancerous.In a Nature Communications paper, they describe how they identified "four molecular subtypes" of precancerous lesions with "distinct" tissue and immune system differences.It is possible to detect the differences in airway tissue before it develops precancerous signs, says senior study author Avrum E. Spira, who is a professor of medicine, pathology, and bioinformatics at Boston University and director of its Johnson & Johnson Innovation Lung Cancer Center.
Such findings could lead to ways of screening and monitoring people who smoke and have a high risk of lung cancer, he adds, noting that they could also lead to new drugs that prevent or stop lung cancer by boosting the immune system.Need for earlier detection of lung cancerLung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), lung cancer was responsible for1.76 million deaths in 2018.In the United States, where it accounts for around 13 percent of new cancers, lung cancer kills more men and women each year than cancers of the colon, breast, and prostate together, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
