LUNG CANCER CAN STAY HIDDEN FOR OVER 20 YEARS
Lung cancers can lie dormant for over 20
years before suddenly turning into an aggressive form of the disease, according
to a study published Thursday in the US journal Science.
The
study, led by researchers at the Cancer Research UK, examined lung cancers from
seven patients, including smokers, ex-smokers and never smokers.
It found
that after the first genetic mistakes that cause the cancer, it can exist
undetected for many years until new, additional faults trigger rapid growth of
the disease, Xinhua reported.
The
researchers hoped this study will help improve early detection of the disease.
Currently,
two-thirds of patients with lung cancer are diagnosed with advanced forms of
the disease when treatments are less likely to be successful.
"By
understanding how it develops we've opened up the disease's evolutionary rule
book in the hope that we can start to predict its next steps," study
author Charles Swanton, professor at the Cancer Research UK said in a
statement.
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