Simple, New Blood Test Could Lead to Earlier Mesothelioma Treatment

A new blood test developed in Japan is raising hopes it can more accurately diagnose mesothelioma, leading to earlier cancer treatment and improved chances of survival. The test involves a protein biomarker in the blood called N-ERC/mesothelin and a new enzyme-linked system for detecting it. This biomarker is overly expressed in patients with the asbestos-related cancer. Researchers reported their test was 95 percent accurate in identifying cases of the disease and 76 percent accurate in ruling it out. Both are higher percentages than previously reported with other blood tests. Most experts agree the key to developing better therapies for this disease linked to asbestos exposure is finding better tools to diagnose it earlier. The majority of cases discovered today are too far developed to offer patients a realistic chance of long-term survival. "The present study demonstrates that this newly established system for N-ERC/mesothelin improved sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma," wrote lead author Tadashi Sato of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Juntendo University School of Medicine in Tokyo. "We believe that this blood biomarker is an ideal tool for the early diagnosis." The study was published in the June issue of Cancer Medicine. Diagnosing Disease Is a Challenge Getting an accurate diagnosis today often takes many months and a variety of often invasive tests. A simple, accurate blood test could lead to early screenings for people...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Research & Clinical Trials Source Type: news