Indian-American Physician Abhijit Patel Receives Award for Pioneering Lung Cancer Detection Research

Indian-American physician Abhijit Patel has been honored with the 2024 Lung Cancer Early Detection Award. The accolade, funded by the LUNGevity Foundation and the Rising Tide Foundation for Clinical Cancer Research, recognizes groundbreaking work aimed at enhancing technologies for early lung cancer detection, a key to reducing lung cancer-related mortality across the United States.

The award acknowledges Patel and his collaborator, Steven Skates from Massachusetts General Hospital, for their innovative technique that identifies minuscule fragments of DNA from cancer cells circulating in the bloodstream. This advancement has the potential to transform early lung cancer diagnosis.

With the grant provided through this award, the researchers plan to refine their technology further. The primary goal is to link the detection of these DNA fragments to the presence of early-stage lung cancer in patients. Additionally, the team intends to develop an algorithm capable of tracking blood changes over time. This approach could lead to the creation of a routine blood test capable of identifying lung cancer at its earliest, most treatable stages, according to a press release.

The research has generated significant enthusiasm within the medical community. “This approach has additional advantages that can be a game-changer for the field of lung cancer,” remarked Upal Basu Roy, the executive director of LUNGevity Research. Roy highlighted that when combined with existing screening methods, this blood test could potentially detect types of lung cancer often missed by traditional screenings. Specifically, squamous cell lung cancer, which is frequently diagnosed at advanced stages, could be identified earlier, improving patient survival rates and expanding treatment options.

Squamous cell lung cancer presents unique challenges due to its typically late-stage detection and the associated high mortality rates. Early diagnosis could significantly shift this paradigm, allowing for more effective interventions.

The critical importance of early detection in lung cancer is underscored by survival statistics. When diagnosed at an early stage, the five-year survival rate for lung cancer patients is approximately 64 percent. This figure drops dramatically to 27 percent when considering all stages of the disease. Despite this disparity, only 22 percent of lung cancer cases are currently detected in their early stages, highlighting an urgent need for better diagnostic tools.

Alexandre Alencar, head of cancer research programs at the Rising Tide Foundation for Clinical Cancer Research, emphasized the necessity of this work. “There is a clear and pressing need to improve early detection of lung cancer,” he stated. “And here, we have dedicated researchers with a possible solution in hand. It will be exciting to see where this work takes us.”

The innovative approach developed by Patel and Skates offers hope for addressing the challenges of early lung cancer detection. If successful, their research could revolutionize how lung cancer is diagnosed, reducing mortality rates and improving the quality of life for countless patients.