Test for Early Screening of Lung Cancer

In a preliminary study, a new sputum test showed promise for the early detection of lung cancer, when it may still be treatable. The test detects a cancer-associated sugar in sputum. The research was reported at the meeting of the American Thoracic Society in San Francisco (CA, USA).

Called LungAlert, the test detected 20 of 23 cancers in the study population, most significantly detecting 13 of 15 classified in stage one or two, when treatment is still an option. LungAlert also detected all seven stage-three and stage-four cancers in the group. The pilot study was conducted at the Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health, St. Joseph's Healthcare, in Hamilton, Ontario (Canada). LungAlert was developed by IMI International Medical Innovations Inc. (Toronto, Canada).

To perform the test, a doctor asks a patient to produce sputum by coughing into a cup. The sample is treated with IMI's proprietary test and produces a color change reaction, which is read with a color reader to quantify the results. "The challenge is to identify people in the early stages before the cancer has spread,” said Dr. John Miller, a thoracic surgeon and co-investigator of the study. "In the case of lung cancer, the tumors spread early, which puts extra emphasis on early identification.”


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