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| Edited By: |Source: ANI |Updated: May 16, 2011, 02:06 PM IST
A study conducted by researchers in Boston has indicated that a simple, minimally-invasive technique using cells from the interior of the nose could help clinicians detect lung cancer in its earliest and most treatable.
"Our data suggests that evaluating gene expression changes in nasal cells found in the interior surface of the nose may serve as a non-invasive approach for the early detection of lung cancer in smokers," said study author Christina Anderlind, Instructor of medicine at Boston University Medical Center.
For their study, the researchers collected nasal epithelial cells from 33 smokers who were undergoing medically-indicated bronchoscopies for suspicion of lung cancer. Brushings were taken from the right or left nostril and profiled on microarrays, a process that allows researchers to study gene expression changes.
The researchers identified 170 genes that were differentially expressed between patients with and without lung cancer. They also found that genes linked to colon cancer and adenocarcinoma, as well as genes that trigger cell division and blood vessel growth, were expressed more heavily in patients with cancer. Genes involved in tumour suppression were also expressed at lower levels in these patients.
Anderlind said the results of the current study are an initial indication that simple nasal brushings could offer an alternative to lung biopsy and other invasive techniques aimed at identifying lung cancer in its early stages.
"This study is a pilot study and our results are preliminary," she said.
"Although we did have some indication based on previous studies that we might find gene expression changes in nasal cells, it was unexpected that normal-looking airway cells located at a distance from the lungs would show a specific gene signature that distinguishes patients with cancer from those with benign disease," she added.
The study will be presented at the ATS 2011 International Conference.
