Cancer Screening
Studies comparing the blood of patients with head and neck cancer with that of healthy people revealed numerous differences in protein expression, MCG researchers have found.
“We found scores and scores of proteins that were differentially expressed,” said Dr. Christine Gourin, MCG otolaryngologist specializing in head and neck cancer and the study’s lead author. “We found there are at least eight proteins whose expression significantly differs between controls and people with cancer.”
This protein fingerprint correctly classified study participants as cancer patients with a high degree of sensitivity and specificity—82 percent and 76 percent, respectively, according to research published in Archives of Otolaryngology.
“If these results hold up over time, they would suggest that this would be a good screening test for at-risk people,” Dr. Gourin said.