Genetic markers in the blood that can signal lung cancer risk up to 10 years before a person is diagnosed were discovered by University of Hawaiʻi researchers. The set of 31 tiny markers, called small non-coding RNAs, could eventually help identify people at higher risk while cancer remains clinically undetected.
The study, published in Advance Science , was led by Youping Deng, PhD candidate Zhuokun Feng, and Masaki Nasu from the Department of Quantitative Health Sciences at the UH Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine . Deng also co-directs genomics research at the UH Cancer Center . UH Cancer Center researcher Loïc Le Marchand, lead investigator for the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC) Study, served as co-author.
"A central question in this study was whether a molecular signal (measurable biological change) of future lung cancer could already be present in blood many years before diagnosis," Feng said.
Detecting risk years before diagnosis
Using stored blood samples collected before participants were diagnosed, researchers identified 31 specific RNA molecules associated with future lung cancer risk.
A computer model using these markers achieved 95% overall accuracy in testing.
A computer model using these markers achieved 95% overall accuracy in testing. The RNA-based risk score remained strongly associated with future lung cancer even after researchers accounted for age, sex, ethnicity and smoking history. Notably, the association was still detectable five to 10 years before clinical diagnosis.
The findings point to the potential for a future blood-based approach to long-term lung cancer risk assessment. The research team is pursuing patent protection for the biomarker panel and its potential clinical application.
The National Institutes of Health supported the research through several grants, including funding connected to the UH Pacific Center for Genome Research. Established with a $10.9 million NIH grant in 2023 , the center advances genomics research in diverse populations.
