Forewarned, fore-armed

Lung cancer remains a lethal killer, but it is preventable. The Respiragene™ test score will give you and your doctor valuable information upon which to act to safeguard your health.

Smoking Cessation: When you know your risk and ask for help to quit, your doctor will likely suggest a dedicated quitting program featuring some of all of the following: regular counseling and structured self-help programs; products like chewing gum or skin patches to replace the nicotine you otherwise get from tobacco smoke; and prescriptions for drugs which have been found to reduce cravings and decrease the pleasurable effect of nicotine for some individuals.

Early Detection: Because earlier detection of cancerous lung nodules is so important to improving survival rates, regular smokers and ex-smokers should ask their doctors for an action plan.

Doctors will likely recommend greater vigilance through regular check-ups and careful assessment of persistent coughs or chest pain should these symptoms emerge. Your doctor may also suggest spirometry, which measures the strength of your lung function through a simple blowing test; this will determine if you have developed Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), also known as emphysema, and which may account for shortness of breath and is generally under-diagnosed in the United States.

Your doctor may also suggest that you have a CT (for computer tomography) scan of your lungs if he's particularly concerned about your risk profile or suspicious symptoms. Much more sensitive than X-rays, CT scans can pick up nodules inthe lung at the small sizes typical of cases where early detection has contributed to longer survival rates. But because the highly sensitive CT scan also detects benign nodules and exposes patients to radiation, CT scans are generally reserved for patients considered at high risk by their doctors.

Future Developments

Promising advances are being made in the field of proteomics where detection of specific proteins associated with the early onset of disease may be possible from blood samples, before nodules become well established. None of these types of tests, or others seeking better early detection methods, are widely used today in most countries but breakthroughs are possible.

Active research is also underway in the realm of vaccines to prevent lung cancer, with several various development programs underway. None of these therapeutic options have to date, become available on the market. The use of statins, better known for being prescribed to lower heart attack risk through combatting cholesterol, is now being explored as a preventative measure to lower inflammation in the lungs, which underpins both lung cancer and COPD.

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Sample Test Report (US)