The University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman has identified potential biomarkers or signs that can help with early lung cancer detection with the support of the supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD).
Citing the International Agency for Research on Cancer, UP Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) said lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, accounting for nearly 2 million deaths.
It also caused over 20,500 deaths in the Philippines in 2022, the highest among all cancer types.
To identify potential biomarkers for lung cancer, UP Diliman examined total protein levels in tumor and adjacent normal tissue specimens from Filipino patients with an early-stage non-small cell lung carcinoma lung adenocarcinoma (NSCLC LUAD), the most common type of lung cancer.
Biomarkers are indicators in lung cancer management that can help identify lung cancer subtypes, guide treatment options, and predict outcomes.
The group that conducted the study is composed of the following individuals: Dr. Baby Rorielyn Dimayacyac-Esleta, Ferdinand Mira, Lara Beatrice Suñga, Venus Pondevida from the UPD-CS Institute of Chemistry (IC); Lorenzo Zarate, Ben Joshua Porras, Dave Laurence Juntilla, and Dr. Eloise Prieto of the UPD-CS National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB); and Dr. Sullian Naval, Dr. Treah May Sayo, and Dr. Herdee Gloriane Luna of the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP).
The UPD-CS said the research paper is entitled “Discovery of Key Candidate Protein Biomarkers in Early-Stage Non- small Cell Lung Carcinoma through Quantitative Proteomics.”
The paper is included in the Journal of Proteome Research, a publication which reports on global protein analysis and function, including genomics, spatio-temporal proteomics, metabonomics and metabolomics, and clinical proteomics.
The press statement said the group “conducted a quantitative proteomics analysis to examine total protein levels in tumor and adjacent normal tissue specimens from early-stage Filipino NSCLC LUAD patients, identifying 4,403 proteins with irregular expression in tumors.”
The analysis identified 4,403 proteins with irregular expression in tumors, which are linked to cancer and play a role in protein translation, carbohydrate metabolism, and glucose metabolism.
According to the research, disrupting these functions may drive NSCLC progression.
Meanwhile, 33 proteins were detected from tissues and blood plasma of NSCLC patients as potential diagnostic biomarkers.
“These proteins have aberrant expression in both gene and protein levels, and their gene levels are correlated with poor 5-year survival rate of NSCLC patients,” said Dimayacyac-Esleta.
“These proteins can be tested for possible application in the diagnosis of NSCLC to complement existing diagnostic methods such as chest radiography, low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scan, and bronchoscopic examination and significantly enhance the accuracy and sensitivity of detection,” Dimayacyac-Esleta said.
Dimayacyac-Esleta and her team are continuing to work on providing diagnostic protein biomarkers in the clinic. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/BAP, GMA Integrated News
