Biomarkers in Lung Cancer Screening: a Narrative Review.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biomarker Discovery
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) reduces lung cancer mortality but has limitations like high false positive rates and radiation exposure.
• There is a critical need for adjunctive tests to improve lung cancer screening accuracy and patient outcomes.
• Liquid biomarkers are being developed as non-invasive tools to complement imaging diagnostics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the necessity of biomarkers in lung cancer screening for diagnosis and risk assessment.
• To outline the goals and desirable properties of effective biomarkers.
• To review promising biomarkers currently under investigation.

Main Methods:

• Review of current research on liquid biomarkers for lung cancer.
• Discussion of biomarker properties and clinical utility.
• Overview of specific biomarkers such as autoantibodies, microRNAs, and circulating tumor DNA.

Main Results:

• Biomarkers can improve early detection and diagnosis, reducing unnecessary imaging.
• They can stratify cancer risk, refining screening populations.
• Biomarkers show potential in differentiating benign from malignant lung nodules.

Conclusions:

• Liquid biomarkers are essential for advancing lung cancer screening beyond LDCT.
• Several biomarkers show promise for clinical application, with ongoing research for further validation.
• Future directions include continued development and integration of these biomarkers into clinical practice.