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Chemotherapy test developed for lung cancer11 August 2006 Scientists have developed a new test which can predict if patients with early-stage lung cancer can benefit from chemotherapy. The test works on the basis that there are different patterns of gene activity between lung tumours that are likely to recur and those that will not. By scanning gene activity in tumours, 'the Lung Metagene Predictor' test can indicate whether a person is likely to suffer a recurrence of the disease and need chemotherapy to treat it. Recurrent tumours are often fatal, so identifying patients at risk of recurrence is critical to treating them properly, according to the researchers who have published their results in the New England Journal of Medicine. People with early-stage lung cancer, which is "staged" according to the size, position of the tumour and whether it has spread beyond where it started in the body, are currently offered surgery but not chemotherapy. "If a patient went to the doctor with a 2.9cm tumour, the tumour would be removed, but if a patient were to have a 3.1cm tumour, the tumour would be cut out and they would receive chemotherapy too," said Dr Anil Potti from the Duke Medical Centre, the lead researcher of the study. "We now have a tool that can be used to move these high-risk patients from the 'no chemotherapy' group into the aggressive treatment group." The Lung Metagene Predictor is to undergo clinical trials in the US and Canada, which will involve around 12,000 cancer patients. More information
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