Researchers find lung cancer can lie hidden for 20 years

Lung cancers in ex-smokers can lie dormant for as long as 20 years before they begin to grow into a life-threatening tumour, a study has found.

Genetic mutations causing lung cancer could go undetected for up to two decades before reaching the tipping point of cancer cell growing rapidly. The dormant period of lung cancer can be used to fight the disease by detecting it as early as possible.

The expansion period of cancer cells results in genetic faults in separate areas of the tumor, with each tumor section having its own path of development – meaning each section is genetically different.

The findings are based on a study that analyzed lung cancers patients, including active smokers, non-smokers, and former smokers. The study found that original genetic errors which may result in lung cancer might remain undetected for decades, and this is the reason early detection of genetic mutations is key to preventing the disease from forming.

Of all cancer patients, two-thirds are diagnosed with advanced stages of the disease, when treatments have a lower probability of success

According to Nic Jones, chief scientist in the study done at Cancer Research UK in London, “If we can nip the disease in the bud and treat it before it has started travelling down different evolutionary routes we could make a real difference in helping more people survive the disease.”

Each year, over 40,000 people are diagnosed with the disease. However, fewer than a tenth live longer than five years after receiving the diagnose.

“Survival from lung cancer remains devastatingly low with many new targeted treatments making a limited impact on the disease,” said Professor Charles Swanton, of Cancer Research UK’s London Research Institute and the UCL Cancer Institute.

Agencies/Canadajournal