Fast-tracking lung cancer · PDF fileFast-tracking lung cancer diagnosis The successful treatment of lung ... • NOCRI Microsite: • NOCRI E-Mail: [email protected]

A health research collaboration between the NIHR and:

Fast-tracking lung cancer diagnosis

The successful treatment of lung cancer relies on early and

effective diagnosis. The NIHR is collaborating

with industry to develop an advanced

screening method to detect lung cancer before

patients develop symptoms

NHR Research Dr Eric Lim and his team are using samples from the Royal Brompton BRU biobank to generate clinical evidence. The biobank has recently collected its 2,000th sample – a huge number of samples to be collected by one NHS Trust. The biobank’s facilities provide a standardised, equitable, accessible resource for the benefit of both internal and external clinical researchers. The facility allows access to specimens for the accelerated development of technologies that could be used in other research departments and diagnostic procedures. Both Clearbridge BioMedics and ScreenCell™ are leaders in cell isolation and in vitro diagnostic specialists and are collaborating to provide the technology that is being used and developed in this project.

Patient Impact The development and use of a diagnostic blood test offers a faster, safer and more cost-effective method of diagnosing lung cancer. Clinical research studies performed by Dr Eric Lim and his team of NIHR clinicians have shown that the screening process can diagnose 40-60 percent of sufferers and the aim is to increase this percentage within early phase (I and II stages) lung cancer patients. This accessible screening option, made available for high-risk sufferers, may enable for more cases to be identified during the early phases of the disease, thereby potentially improving survival rates compared to that of the current methods being used.

Dr Eric Lim commented: “Developing an alternative, sustainable and less invasive method for the early detection of lung cancer is a huge responsibility, which has the potential for making an equally huge impact on patients’ recovery rates and, ultimately, extending the time lung cancer patient have with their families. The use of the fantastic resources of the biobank at the NIHR Royal Brompton Biomedical Research Unit has been crucial to this research.”

The research undertaken by Dr Lim and his team has led to the filing of a patent with regards to the staining process developed.

References:

1. Cancer Research UK. Lung cancer - Key Facts . Cancer Research UK. [Online] 06 13, 2012. [Cited: 07 12, 2012.] http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/keyfacts/lung-cancer/.

2. Cancer Research UK. Statistics and outlook for lung cancer. Cancer Research UK. [Online] 03 14, 201. [Cited: 07 27, 2012.] http://cancerhelp.cancerresearchuk.org/type/lung-cancer/treatment/statistics-and-outlook-for-lung-cancer

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Clinical Requirement In 2010, almost 35,000 people died from lung cancer in the UK – approximately 96 people every day1. While the number of deaths has fallen due to a decline in smoking, there is now a large ex-smoking population which remains at high risk of developing lung cancer1. This group of individuals now exceeds the number of current smokers and will continue to do so over the next two-to-three decades.

Current Procedures Current diagnostic imaging procedures for lung cancer such as Computed Tomography (CT) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) expose patients to radiation and often use intravenous radionuclide contrast agents. More than two-thirds of patients are diagnosed in the later stages of disease onset when survival rates are lower1. Current surgical intervention involves resectioning (removal of the lungs) – an expensive, time-consuming procedure which subjects the patient to long recovery times. Such interventions rely on the cancer having progressed to a stage where symptoms can be identified and recognised. Lung cancer survival rates can be correlated to the time of diagnosis. Based on a staging system (1-4)2, Figure 1 below shows the trend in survival rate, highlighting the need for early and accessible diagnosis.

Potential Solution To increase lung cancer survival rates, the NIHR Royal Brompton Biomedical Research Unit in Respiratory Disease (Royal Brompton BRU) is working in collaboration with research partners Clearbridge BioMedics and ScreenCell™, to develop a screening method to detect lung cancer before a patient presents symptoms. A faster, less invasive, safer and earlier method of diagnosis would provide significant benefits to both clinicians and patients. Led by Dr Eric Lim, a consultant thoracic surgeon at the Royal Brompton BRU, the researchers are developing innovative procedures for isolating and staining the patient’s blood cells. DNA is then extracted and screened for genetic mutations in the blood. If proved successful, these new techniques could provide accurate, early-diagnoses of lung cancer.

Figure 1 - Devised from figures provided from Cancer Research UK online2