Could lung cancer be detected by a blood test? Chinese scientists claim to have already developed a way to detect lung cancer using blood tests. The best part? The blood test in question can detect lung cancer in its early stages, implying that countless lives could be saved using this method.
In addition, the study's results are staggeringly positive - with over 90% accuracy in detecting cancerous tumours in samples taken from patients.
Cancer is best treated if detected in the nascent stage. If cancerous tumours are detected in later stages, the possibility of survival for patients are low. The current method to detect lung cancer is dependent on low-dose CT scans on a yearly basis. These are recommended for those with history of smoking or those who smoke.
Unfortunately, the method isn't completely reliable, for it can be extremely expensive and ping false positives, Gizmodo reported.
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Study's author Yuxin Yin from the Peking University People's Hospital told Gizmodo that detecting cancer in its early stages is "urgently needed to improve the survival of [patients with] lung cancer."
The test developed by Yin's team is called Lung Cancer Artificial Intelligence Detector or LCAID. By conducting a series of tests, they created a set of nine biomarkers that run high among patients with lung cancer. This data was then used to create an artificial intelligence algorithm.
The results of the study were published in Science Translational Medicine on Wednesday after the test was conducted on over 1,000 patients. Relative to traditional methods, the test had a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 92% for detecting lung cancer.
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The AI-based approach could also be employed to detect other forms of cancer, its creators are sure.?
What do you think about this novel method to detect lung cancer? Let us know in the comments below.?For more in the world of?technology?and?science, keep reading?Indiatimes.com.?
References
Cara, E. (2022, February 2). Scientists Say They¡¯ve Created a Blood Test for Detecting Early Lung Cancer. Gizmodo.?