Lung Cancer Screening
Lung cancer, one of the most common malignancies, causes more cancer-related deaths than any other malignancy. Lung cancer kills more women every year than breast, uterine and ovarian cancers combined and more men than either prostate or colorectal cancer. Lung cancer is very strongly associated with cigarette smoking and household exposure to second-hand smoke. Smoking is directly linked to lung cancer in 80-90% of people with the disease.
Lung cancer can be cured by surgery if it is detected early, but is largely incurable by surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy if it is diagnosed later. The five-year survival rate of patients diagnosed with lung cancer at an early stage, stage I or stage II, ranges between 60% to 80% while the five-year survival of patients diagnosed with lung cancer at a later stage, IIIA, IIIB or IV, ranges between 1% to 23%. Over 80% of lung cancers are diagnosed when the disease is stage III or IV. Failure to detect lung cancer in its early stages is due to two factors. First, patients with stage I and II lung cancer often have no symptoms of lung cancer such as new cough, bloody sputum, chest pain or unexplained weight loss and no signs of lung cancer such as a mass on chest x-ray, abnormal sputum tests or other laboratory abnormalities. Secondly, screening tests for early detection have not proven to be successful. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved, and the American Cancer Society and the American Society of Clinical Oncology have not endorsed annual chest x-rays, sputum tests or previously-described serum tests for routine screening. Although initially promising, the benefit of annual low-dose spiral CT scans has not been demonstrated and this test is not recommended.
LC Detectsm
LC Detectsm is a serum test for lung cancer screening. It works by measuring the serum levels of Human Aspartyl (Asparaginyl) β-Hydroxylase (HAAH). LC Detectsm is recommended for men and women, 50 years of age or older, who have smoked cigarettes extensively in the past, regardless of whether they currently smoke. HAAH levels in the serum of individuals with lung cancer are three-fold higher when compared to individuals who are cancer-free. LC Detectsm provides useful information about the likelihood of lung cancer in those at highest risk for the disease, such as current or former smokers.
HAAH Serum Concentrations in Lung Cancer
Low levels of serum HAAH, as seen in normal individuals, suggest a lower risk of cancer. Higher levels of serum HAAH have been shown in serum specimens of patients with early as well as late-stage lung cancer. Individuals with low levels of serum HAAH may be spared the cost and inconvenience of further lung cancer diagnostic evaluations, such as annual low-dose CT scans. Conversely, apparently healthy individuals with high serum HAAH values may be recommended to undergo further testing to detect lung cancer while it is still early stage.
Only a physician can order LC Detectsm. The results should be interpreted by a physician in the context of the patient's medical, family and cigarette-exposure history and in the context of the patient's physical findings and other laboratory results. Lung biopsy is necessary for a definitive diagnosis of cancer.
