Crick Institute Finds 14 Proteins Linked to Lung Cancer Risk 5 Years Early as Drug Claim Faces Doubts
Updated
Updated · The Hindu · Jun 13
Crick Institute Finds 14 Proteins Linked to Lung Cancer Risk 5 Years Early as Drug Claim Faces Doubts
3 articles · Updated · The Hindu · Jun 13
Summary
A June 4 Cell paper identified a 14-protein blood signature associated with lung cancer up to 5 years before diagnosis, but the markers may reflect damaged lungs rather than cancer itself.
U.K. Biobank data and other cohorts, including a Taiwanese group, showed the signature also tracked COPD and pulmonary fibrosis, suggesting it flags a "perturbed lung environment" tied to smoking or pollution.
Canakinumab was proposed as a risk-reduction option from a retrospective read of the 10,000-patient CANTOS trial, which was designed for cardiovascular outcomes and did not systematically screen participants for lung cancer.
That leaves the reported drop in lung cancer cases unproven as a preventive effect, especially since later studies have not convincingly replicated it and the drug carries a known risk of fatal infections.
The more immediate clinical promise is sharper targeting of lung-cancer screening, while the strongest proven prevention measures remain quitting smoking and reducing air-pollution exposure.