Research Breakthrough Could Improve Lung Cancer Outcomes

A team of West Virginia scientists have made a breakthrough in cancer research that could improve the results patients see from lung cancer treatments.

Scientists from the West Virginia University Cancer Institute and the Morgantown-based bio-analytic technology company Protea say they’ve identified changes that occur at the molecular level in lung cancer cells. Those changes may make the cells resistant to cancer-fighting drugs, something researchers say can be a common problem among cancer patients.

The WVU-Protea team tracked how actively cancerous tumor cells changed while undergoing treatment and were ultimately able to determine when a tumor began to be resistant to medications.

In a news release, Protea Biosciences says the earlier doctors can detect resistence in these cells, the sooner a patient can be switched to another treatment or drug, increasing the patient’s chances of being cured.

Further studies are planned to validate the findings. If successful, it may help improve lung cancer treatment outcomes.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from the Benedum Foundation.