Health and Me

Ishita Roy

Did Scientists Just Came Up With A New Blood Test That Detects And Monitors Lung Cancers In Real Time?

A team of researchers developed a novel blood test that could detect and monitor <span><a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health/lung-cancer">lung cancer</a></span> in real time. They used the technique Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) micro spectroscopy to detect a single lung <span><a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health/cancer">cancer</a></span> cell in a patient's blood. This technique combines advanced infrared scanning technology with computer analysis and focuses on the unique chemical fingerprint of cancer cells. The research has been lead by the team from University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust or UHNM, Keele University, and Loughborough University. 

Study's lead author Professor Josep Sulé-Suso, Associate Specialist in Oncology at UHNM, says, "This approach has the potential to help patients receive earlier diagnoses, personalized treatments, and fewer invasive procedures, and it could eventually be applied to many types of cancer beyond lung cancer."

<h2>How Does This New Blood Test Work?</h2>

Circulating tumor cells or CTCs are a type of cancer cell that can break away from a tumor and travel in bloodstream. They can also provide information on how the disease progresses and how well does a treatment work. CTCs are also the cells that leads to spread of cancer or what is known as metastases. 

How is it novel and differ to the current methods in use? Current methods detect CTCs, but use a very complicated, expensive and time-consuming procedure. The current methods could also sometimes miss cancer cells altogether, as the cells often change their characteristics while circulating in the blood. 

The researchers identify circulating tumor cells, or CTCs, in blood samples by directing a powerful infrared beam at them, similar in principle to the light used in a TV remote but much stronger.

Because different chemicals absorb infrared light in unique ways, CTCs produce a distinctive absorption signature, often described as a chemical fingerprint. Advanced computer analysis of this data can quickly determine whether tumor cells are present in the bloodstream.

Published in the journal Applied Spectroscopy, the method is both simpler and more cost-effective than current techniques. It uses standard glass slides already common in pathology laboratories, which could make it easier to incorporate into routine clinical use.

The team plans to test the approach in larger patient populations, with the goal of developing a fast, automated blood test that can be seamlessly added to cancer care pathways.

As per the World Cancer Research Fund, there were 2,480,675 new cases of lung cancer in 2022. The numbers have projected to rise significantly by 2050. Key drivers of lung cancer include tobacco usage, air pollution, and occupational exposure. There has also been a rise in lung cancer rates in women and seen disparities across regions. 

What happens in lung cancer? The National Health Institute (NIH) notes that lung cancer refers to tumors originating in the lung parenchyma or within the bronchi. This is the third most common cancer in the US. Your cells divide and make more copies of themselves as a part of their normal function, however, they get mutations that cause them to keep making more of themselves when they should not. This is how damaged cells divide at an uncontrollable rate and create masses or tumor that keep your organs from working properly.

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A team of researchers developed a novel blood test that could detect and monitor lung cancer in real time. They used the technique Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) micro spectroscopy to detect a single lung cancer cell in a patient's blood. This technique combines advanced infrared scanning technology with computer analysis and focuses on the unique chemical fingerprint of cancer cells. The research has been lead by the team from University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust or UHNM, Keele University, and Loughborough University. Study's lead author Professor Josep Sulé-Suso, Associate Specialist in Oncology at UHNM, says, "This approach has the potential to help patients receive earlier diagnoses, personalized treatments, and fewer invasive procedures, and it could eventually be applied to many types of cancer beyond lung cancer."How Does This New Blood Test Work?Circulating tumor cells or CTCs are a type of cancer cell that can break away from a tumor and travel in bloodstream. They can also provide information on how the disease progresses and how well does a treatment work. CTCs are also the cells that leads to spread of cancer or what is known as metastases. How is it novel and differ to the current methods in use? Current methods detect CTCs, but use a very complicated, expensive and time-consuming procedure. The current methods could also sometimes miss cancer cells altogether, as the cells often change their characteristics while circulating in the blood. The researchers identify circulating tumor cells, or CTCs, in blood samples by directing a powerful infrared beam at them, similar in principle to the light used in a TV remote but much stronger.Because different chemicals absorb infrared light in unique ways, CTCs produce a distinctive absorption signature, often described as a chemical fingerprint. Advanced computer analysis of this data can quickly determine whether tumor cells are present in the bloodstream.Published in the journal Applied Spectroscopy, the method is both simpler and more cost-effective than current techniques. It uses standard glass slides already common in pathology laboratories, which could make it easier to incorporate into routine clinical use.The team plans to test the approach in larger patient populations, with the goal of developing a fast, automated blood test that can be seamlessly added to cancer care pathways.How Common Is Lung Cancer?As per the World Cancer Research Fund, there were 2,480,675 new cases of lung cancer in 2022. The numbers have projected to rise significantly by 2050. Key drivers of lung cancer include tobacco usage, air pollution, and occupational exposure. There has also been a rise in lung cancer rates in women and seen disparities across regions. What happens in lung cancer? The National Health Institute (NIH) notes that lung cancer refers to tumors originating in the lung parenchyma or within the bronchi. This is the third most common cancer in the US. Your cells divide and make more copies of themselves as a part of their normal function, however, they get mutations that cause them to keep making more of themselves when they should not. This is how damaged cells divide at an uncontrollable rate and create masses or tumor that keep your organs from working properly.