ISLAMABAD: A new test will allow patients suspected of lung cancer to be subjected to fewer and less-invasive tests to determine if they have the disease.
A genomic bio marker can accurately determine the likelihood of a lung lesion being malignant.
The findings are from two large, prospective, multi center studies called Airway Epithelium Gene Expression in the Diagnosis of Lung Cancer (AEGIS) I and II, said the study published in New England Journal of Medicine.
“In the past, these patients have been subjected to invasive tests when traditional bronchoscopy tests prove inconclusive.
Today’s announcement provides physicians and patients with an additional piece of scientifically reliable information to consider when determining their next diagnostic step,” said senior author AviSpira, professor at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM).
The findings will allow physicians to confidently identify patients, who are at low probability for having lung cancer thus sparing them from costly and risky procedures.
“The ability to test for molecular changes in this ‘field of injury’ allows us to rule out the disease earlier without invasive procedures. Conceptually, this may have significant implications for other diseases,” Spira stressed.
“We hope to improve the diagnostic work up for lung cancer by reducing patient anxiety, performing fewer unnecessary procedures and ultimately saving valuable healthcare resources and money,” Spira concluded.
