A research team from National Taiwan University (NTU) has identified a genome trait highly correlated with lung cancer using rapid whole-genome sequencing technology and the discovery might improve the diagnosis of early-stage lung cancer.
At a press meeting on Thursday, researchers said that lung cancer remained the No. 1 killer among all diseases in Taiwan.
Most lung cancers are diagnosed based on symptoms, but symptoms of early-stage lung cancer are not specific and are difficult to screen.
The only method of identifying those with a high risk of developing lung cancer is familial penetrance.
In order to identify the risk factors, the research team conducted a study of a family with an atypically high number of members with lung cancer.
By analyzing the data collected in the process of conducting rapid whole-genome sequencing of family members, the researchers identified a key genome trait.
The researchers also conducted validation studies among more than 1,000 people, some of whom were lung cancer patients.
They found that the lung cancer risk in protein 1 (YAP1) mutant-allele carriers was 5.9 times that of non-carriers.
In further studies, researchers conducted YAP1 mutant-allele tracking among 13 relatives of a lung adenocarcinoma patient and found that among them, four had lung adenocarcinoma and six were diagnosed with ground glass abnormalities in their lungs using computed tomography (CT scans).
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