Blood test spots 'asbestos cancer'

Asbestos dust remains a major health hazard

A simple blood test could detect early signs of deadly 'asbestos cancer', scientists have claimed.

Patients with mesothelioma - often caused by exposure to asbestos - often die within a few years of diagnosis.

But in a study published in The Lancet, researchers say checking levels of a key protein can identify over 80% of cases at an early stage.

Earlier detection would mean doctors could treat the patient using chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery.

The test can detect the cancer several years before it presents Dr Bruce Robinson, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Australia

Mesothelioma affects the mesothelial tissue surrounding the lungs.

The aggressive cancer develops decades after asbestos exposure.

But not all those who worked with asbestos go on to develop the cancer, and Australian scientists were looking for a way of identifying who was at risk.

Asbestos exposure

Researchers from the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Australia, developed a test to assess blood concentrations of soluble mesothelian related (SMR) protein, which has been shown to be an indicator of other cancers.

The scientists believed high levels of SMR might also be seen in asbestos cancer patients.

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