A POTENTIALLY life-saving blood test has been developed that may allow doctors to spot signs of lung cancer up to five years before the disease shows up on traditional scans.
Early results from a major trial showed how antibodies produced by the immune system in response to lung cancer could be used as a diagnostic tool.
Of around 6,000 high-risk patients screened, about one in 10 tested positive for the antibodies.
From this group, 207 were found to have lung nodules - lumps of tissue in the lungs that may be cancerous or benign.
So far, chest X-rays and CT (computed tomography) scans have confirmed 16 cases of lung cancer among the positive-testing patients, three quarters of which were at an early stage.
More research is needed to assess the test, but experts believe it has the potential to bring cancers to light that would otherwise remain hidden for years.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here