Scientists have identified a potential noninvasive diagnostic marker that could change current practices in the detection and treatment of some types of lung cancer. High levels of cytoskeleton-associated protein 4 (CKAP4) have been identified in the blood of patients with lung cancer. In a study published in The American Journal of Pathology, researchers from Kitasato University in Japan found that CKAP4 levels were significantly higher in patients with lung cancer than in healthy individuals.
They further determined that CKAP4 levels are already elevated in the blood of patients with stage I disease. This makes it a potential noninvasive diagnostic marker that could change current practices in the diagnosis and treatment of some types of lung cancer, including non-small-cell lung cancer and squamous cell carcinoma, and improve patient outcomes. Lung cancer is associated with a poor…
