Smokers who have higher levels of vitamin B-6 and certain essential proteins in their blood have a lower risk of getting lung cancer than those deficient in these nutrients, according to a study by cancer specialists.

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The University of Nottingham spin-out company, Oncimmune Ltd, has developed a ground breaking blood test which will aid the detection of cancer as much as five years earlier than current testing methods such as mammography and CT scans. Physicians will know the result of their patient’s test within one week of sending in a blood sample to Oncimmune.

The first early cancer detection test (EarlyCDT™) to launch will be the test for lung cancer (EarlyCDT-Lung) which has the potential to detect the early stages of lung cancer possibly up to five years before a tumor appears. The target population for this test are high-risk individuals such as long-term smokers and ex-smokers between the ages of 40 and 75. Additionally the test would be appropriate for people who have been exposed to other risk factors associated with the disease, for instance, environmental exposures such as radon, asbestos and extensive exposure to secondary smoke.

Lung cancer remains the number one killer for both men and women in the United States, claiming an estimated 160,000 lives this year. The vast majority of cases occur in smokers or former smokers, but around 20,000 non-smokers also succumb to this devastating disease. Recently, some studies have indicated that lung cancer in non-smokers is increasing, and that women are more susceptible to it than men.

However, a new study from an international team of researchers found the opposite: that men have a higher death rate from lung cancer across all age groups and all ethnic groups examined. Scientists combined information from 13 studies and 22 cancer registries in 10 countries in their analysis. They found no evidence that lung cancer rates are on the rise among non-smokers.

Researchers continue to search for causes of lung cancer among this otherwise low risk group - thus far studies implicate asbestos, radon, radiation treatments, and exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke.