Early Detection of Lung Cancer Possible With New Biomarker

Investigators have found significantly higher levels of cytoskeleton-associated protein 4 (CKAP4) in the blood of patients with lung cancer than in healthy individuals. Moreover, the protein is sensitive enough to be detected in the patients'' blood as early as in stage I of non-small-cell lung cancer and squamous cell carcinoma, compared to current biomarkers. This could potentially make it a non-invasive diagnostic marker for specific lung cancers.