Biomarker may hold key to early diagnosis of lung cancer
TCF21 is a transcription factor - a protein that binds to DNA, allowing it to reproduce itself accurately, allowing cells to multiply and replace themselves in a consistent manner.
Early-stage lung cancer diagnosis may now be possible - as scientists have suggested that a biomarker may be used to develop a potential screening test.A collaboration between physicians and scientists at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has demonstrated that a biomarker called TCF21 may be used to develop a potential screening test for early-stage lung cancer.TCF21 is a transcription factor - a protein that binds to DNA, allowing it to reproduce itself accurately, allowing cells to multiply and replace themselves in a consistent manner.When these transcription factors don't work properly, cellular growth mechanisms can be disrupted, leading to cancer."We were very excited to find evidence of TCF21 hypermethylation in 105 non-small-cell lung cancers of different stages and types, which we then validated by looking at another 300 cases using a tissue microarray," said Kristy Richards, who led the research."More than 80% of these cancers show some abnormal expression of this biomarker, meaning that it is a promising target for developing a screening tool."This is important to physicians and patients because surgery and other treatments can be much more effective before the cancer has the opportunity to spread," he said.