Lung cancer can be spotted earlier and diagnosed more precisely with the help of a blood test, a major study carried out in Scotland has found.
The Early Detection of Cancer of the Lung Scotland(ECLS) is the world’s largest clinical biomarker trial looking into detecting early lung cancer using a blood test. It was led by the University of Dundee in collaboration with the University of Glasgow, with further work from the Universities of Aberdeen, St Andrews, Nottingham and Toronto, NHS Scotland, Scottish Government, The Canberra Hospital and Oncimmune, the company that developed the new blood test. Tayside Clinical Trials Unit was responsible for trial delivery, data management and analysis.
I have on occasion visited the Tayside Clinical Research unit at Ninewells, Dundee, on open days and for volunteer research trials. The set up is very advanced and on open days visitors can get hands on high tech high touch for the various devices on show. For example, I recall a lung clearance device that was far in advance of the field and was very accessible to use, with normal breathing and nothing like the orthodox forced expiration of the spirometer, which can cause you to feel lung pain directly after use. Readings were printed off as you breathed normally and there was no drama about expelling your air with vigour, no shouted exhortation from the lung nurse to keep blowing! The appropriate trial was linked to a lung clearance index of calm inhalations and exhalations. Perfect and patient-friendly technology.
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