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Simple lung cancer test may be used in dentist offices
Source: (cancerfacts.com)
Monday, October 31, 2005
MONTREAL – Oct. 31, 2005 – One day people at high risk of lung cancer might scrape the inside of the cheek with a small wooden spatula similar to a tongue depressor and have the collected cells analyzed for lung cancer, a new study shows.
Using an advanced technology, the research team led by Dr. Bojana Turic, of Perceptronix, Inc, Vancouver, BC, was able to detect subtle changes in buccal cells that line the inside of the mouth that are present in patients with lung cancer.
"Previous research has shown that cell nuclear changes can extend a significant distance from the site of a malignancy," Turic said in a prepared statement. "We have already conducted a successful clinical trial for our sputum test for lung cancer. New data suggest that the effects of lung cancer can also be measured as far away as skin cells in the mouth."
Although a clinical test based on buccal cells is still in development, the method of analyzing cheek cells to detect cancer holds promise of one day leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment that might result in better chances of a cure. Turic and colleagues presented their study at CHEST 2005, the 71st Annual International Scientific Assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP).
The researchers analyzed randomized cheek scrapings of 150 confirmed lung cancer patients and 990 high-risk patients, who had not been diagnosed with lung cancer, using Automated Quantitative Cytometry (AQC), which is a system that uses a high-tech machine, called a flow cytometer, that allows scientists to isolate, count and examine specific cells.
The AQC system analyzes several thousand cells per specimen and reduces the data to a single score that predicts the likelihood of the presence of cancer. Of the buccal specimens collected, the AQC accurately identified 66 percent of the samples as indicative of lung cancer, while incorrectly identifying 30 percent as cancer when there was none, so-called false positives.
Significantly, the analysis was as nearly accurate for patients with early-stage disease, with 61 percent of the 47 stage I lung cancer patients correctly identified from the cheek samples.
"Stage I lung cancer is considered treatable, but most lung cancers are currently detected beyond stage I," said Turic. "We believe that early detection is the key to reducing lung cancer mortality and have focused our approach around detecting stage I lung cancer."
Although the test is not intended for screening the general population, researchers are hopeful that the AQC method will become an accurate, noninvasive, affordable, and easy-to-administer lung cancer detection test for patients at risk for lung cancer.
"Ultimately, this test could be administered in primary care settings or dental offices," Turic said. "The procedure is simple enough that specimen collection could be done by patients themselves."
Researchers stress that additional clinical testing of the AQC method is needed, using a sufficient number and appropriate sample of patients in order to validate the test's performance.
The researchers have also developed a sputum test that utilizes the AQC method. They hope to receive Canadian regulatory approval in early 2006. Both tests are intended to provide pulmonary physicians with valuable information to help them manage patients at risk of developing, or suspected of having lung cancer.
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