Reseachers Identify Biomarker for Smoker's Lung Cancer

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic have found that a specific protein pair may be a successful prognostic biomarker for identifying smoking-related lung cancers. The protein, known as ASCL1-is commonly associated with increased expression of the RET oncogene, a particular cancer-causing gene called RET, according to background information from the study.

"This is exciting because we've found what we believe to be a 'drugable target' here," George Vasmatzis, Ph.D.,  said, via a press release, a Mayo Clinic molecular medicine researcher and senior author on the study. "It's a clear biomarker for aggressive adenocarcinomas. These are the fast-growing cancer cells found in smokers' lungs."

As ASCL is known to control neurocendocrine cell development and was previously linked to regulation of thyroid and small cell lung cancer development, but not smoking-related lung cancer development. The research also showed that patients with ASCL 1 tumors showed high levels of the RET oncogene protein and did not survive as long as ASCL1 patients with low levels of RET.

Researchers then blocked the ASCL1 protein in lung cancer cell lines via expression of both genes, and thus, the level of RET decreased and tumor growth slowed. This leads many to believe that this mechanism will provide a promising target for potential drugs and strong candidate for clinical trials, according to background information via the study.

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More information regarding the study can be found via the Oncogene.