Lung cancer Awareness!
Every breath is a gift, and this Lung Cancer Awareness month, let’s unite to spread awareness about lung cancer. Did you know that lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide?
Lung cancer affects millions of lives worldwide, and early detection is crucial.
Lung cancer has two major types: non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) accounting for 80% and small cell lung cancers (SCLC) for 18%. NSCLC has three subtypes: adenocarcinoma (LADC) for 40%, squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) for 30% and large cell carcinoma for 10%. SCLC account for approximately 20% of lung cancers. They typically begin in the lung’s bronchi and spread quickly, often to other parts of the body. The assessment is critical for correct diagnosis.
A pulmonary panel of antibodies is useful to distinguish types of lung cancer. The patients with SqCC cannot receive Avastin due to a 30% mortality rate as a result of fatal hemoptysis. A panel of p40, Napsin A, CK5/6, TTF-1 can be used to di¬fferentiate LADC from SqCC.
- p40 is highly specific to squamous cell carcinoma, which is one of the major subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Using p40 in IHC staining can help pathologists confirm the presence of squamous cell carcinoma in a lung tumor.
- p40 is often used in combination with other markers like CK5/6 to enhance the accuracy of the diagnosis. The co-expression of p40 and CK5/6 is a common approach for confirming squamous cell carcinoma.
- TTF-1 is highly specific to lung adenocarcinoma, one of the most common types of lung cancer. It is also used to differentiate primary lung cancer from metastatic tumors originating in other organs.
- Napsin A is another marker used to identify lung adenocarcinoma. It can be particularly helpful in cases where TTF-1 results are inconclusive.
- CD56, Synaptophysin, and Chromogranin A are used to identify small-cell lung carcinoma, a highly aggressive form of lung cancer.
Early and accurate detection saves lives!!!