Research shows that survival rates for lung cancer are much higher if the disease can be detected in its earliest stages. Therefore, finding ways to make diagnosis quicker and easier are essential in the fight to save more lives. In the east, researchers in Cambridge are leading the way in the testing of cutting edge technology which could decrease the need for invasive biopsy tests and help make earlier diagnosis possible.
One such study underway looks at new technology which aims to detect tiny genetic particles being given off by a tumour, called circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), which can be found in the blood stream. Blood samples will be taken for testing before and after a patient has lung cancer treatment such as surgery or radiotherapy. The research team, based at Cambridge University, hope to find out whether it is possible to detect evidence of cancer in the bloodstream before treatment and use the technique to find out whether the cancer has been cured or has returned.
If the results prove the technology is able to identify tiny amounts of ctDNA in the blood, it could be used by lung cancer specialists in the future to make diagnosis easier, provide better treatment for patients and, potentially, detect tumours earlier than ever.
Using a different approach, the NIHR-funded LUCID Breath system will begin clinical trials in the near future. This uses modern sensory technology normally used in explosives and chemical detection to 'sniff out' cancer in the breath of patients.
Cancer specialists at Papworth Hospital were approached by engineers at Owlstone Nanotech to help trial the technology, which they have adapted for this potentially pioneering medical use. The device uses a chip that has been programmed with information to enable it to identify thousands of chemical samples, known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are known to be produced by lung cancers. Using an innovative 'sniffing' sensor, a sample of breath is taken which the chip analyses and attempts to match to a VOC in its memory bank.
If research can provide the necessary evidence to prove this 'sniffing' device works, it could be seen in GP surgeries in the future, meaning early detection of cancer will be easier and, crucially, more lives could be saved than ever before.
Dr Robert Rintoul, Lead Clinician for Cancer at Papworth Hospital, is coordinating the ctDNA study with Dr Nitzan Rosenfeld, who leads the projects at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute at Cambridge University and the LUCID breath system with Billy Boyle of Owlstone Nanotech. Dr Rintoul said,
"While we have made progress over the last decade or two in keeping people with advanced lung cancer alive for longer and with better quality of life, progress has been limited. However we know that if we can detect lung cancer early, we can potentially make a much bigger impact and cure more people. Lung cancer research is the only way we're going to achieve rapid advances in treatment and that's why Cancer Research UK and our teams in Cambridge are very keen to work together on developing a portfolio of studies for early detection."