My Work Could Save Your Life ; CITY MEDIC PIONEERS RAPID CANCER TEST
Posted on: Saturday, 6 August 2005, 09:00 CDT
A BIRMINGHAM doctor is shaping the future of cancer treatment in the UK by pioneering the country's first blood test to detect the disease.
Surgeon Aiman Alzetan is giving hope of quicker and more advanced treatment to millions of lung cancer patients.
The lung and heart specialist from Heartlands Hospital has made giant steps towards detecting the fatal illness in a simple blood test and has now been given the go-ahead to prove it works with 600 patients.
If the pilot is successful, it looks set to be rolled out across the country. Until now, suspected sufferers must undergo a lung biopsy that is then examined under a microscope to find out whether they have the disease or not.
'Hopefully, this research will have big implications on reducing waiting lists, as people who don't need a biopsy won't be on the list and the survival rate should go up because we can catch it quicker,' said Mr Altezan, aged 39, from Coventry.
'Everyone with a shadow on the lung x-ray has to undergo an operation, but some people are reluctant and wait for a second scan and this delay can be the difference between life and death.
'With lung cancer, time is vital. The quicker you spot it, the better chance of curing it.
'There is even a possibility of developing antibodies for a vaccine to tackle the tumour once we have isolated what chemicals come from the cancer.'
Mr Altezan, a Muslim father of three who has worked in Britain for 14 years since moving from Syria, added: 'I have moved into research from surgery as I'm hoping I can help more patients with this breakthrough than I could operate on in my whole life. I feel part of this country and want to give something back. I want to save lives.'
Birmingham has become the perfect area for Mr Altezan to work on the project, with one of the highest rates of lung cancer in the country.
He has spent two years in his laboratory analysing chemicals secreted from tumours and how they show up in the blood.
Mr Altezan has examined the blood of people with cancer and compared it to those without.
Professors at Cancer Research UK's Institute at Birmingham University have also got on board, helping the surgeon with his clinical trials
Source: Evening Mail; Birmingham (UK)
Related Articles
- Study Shows Cancer Vaccines Led to Long-Term Survival for Patients with Metastatic Melanoma and to Long Periods of Disease Control After Completion of Therapy
- ERs may not use lung blood clot guidelines
- National Cancer Institute Awards Small Business Innovation Research Contract to Rules-Based Medicine, Inc.
- Research Highlights New Approaches to Prevent Blood Clots in Several High-Risk Patient Populations Including Largest Study Ever to Examine Use of Blood-Thinning Medication in Patients With Cancer
- Power3 Medical Products and the Princess Haya Biotechnology Center, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Collaborate in a Clinical Validation Study of the BC-SeraPro(TM) Breast Cancer Diagnostic Blood Test
- Cancer Researchers at Manhattan-Based St. Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Center Discover Genes That Can Determine How Patients Respond to Pre-Leukemia Drug
- Sumner M. Redstone Commits $105 Million to Fund Cancer and Burn Recovery Research and Patient Care
- Interstitial Lung Disease, Lung Cancer, Lung Transplantation, Pulmonary Vascular Disorders, and Sleep-Disordered Breathing in AJRCCM in 2004
- Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund Awards Grant for Breast Cancer Awareness Program to ACCESS Health & Research Center
- Predicting Outcome After Lung Resection for Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Patients With Neutropenia*
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds