enormous implications

A simple blood test may be able to detect lung cancer in its earliest stages with unprecedented accuracy, according to new research.

The possibility of developing a non-invasive test to distinguish cancerous from benign lesions in the lungs has enormous implications, not just for the world of medicine, but for every individual patient who has gone through the harrowing experience of having to wait for conclusive biopsy results after preliminary testing.

A novel molecule, GDC-0449, shrinks tumors for patients with advanced basal cell carcinoma with limited side effects, suggesting a viable new treatment option for patients with the advanced form of this cancer.

"Basal cell carcinoma affects about one million people a year, and a very small fraction of these patients have disease that is not curable with surgery.

We currently do not have any treatments that can effectively slow tumor growth in these advanced patients.

This finding has enormous implications in this population," said one of the physicians involved with the research.