New blood test could detect disease in its earliest stages.

2003 OCT 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Lung cancer is often deadly by the time doctors have detected it, but scientists at Duke University Medical Center are developing a noninvasive test that could detect lung cancer in its earliest stages, while it is still treatable.

Their new diagnostic test employs an instrument called "MALDI-TOF MS" to detect proteins in the blood that signal inflammatory diseases and various cancers. Finding a disease-causing protein is critical because it helps doctors diagnose the disease and develop new ways to block its detrimental effects, the researchers said.

Expanding on the MALDI-TOF MS technique, Duke radiologists have identified a specific protein, serum amyloid A, which is elevated in the blood of lung cancer patients but not in the blood of normal patients. …