Immune Changes May Signal Lung Cancer Years Before Diagnosis

UCL researchers found that altered regulatory T cell activity can weaken the immune system's ability to detect developing tumors. They tracked this signal with prototype blood tests and reversed it with drugs in studies that included mice, suggesting a way to intervene before lung cancer forms. Published in Nature, the work points to new strategies for early interception in high-risk individuals.

The UCL group examined paired blood and tissue samples from people enrolled in long-running lung screening and surveillance programs, alongside mouse models, to trace how precancerous lesions become tumors. They found that regulatory T cells accumulated months or years before diagnosis, apparently restraining other immune cells and letting abnormal tissue escape detection.

In experiments, a drug aimed at specific immune pathways reduced the suppressive behavior of these regulatory T cells. The treated animals had roughly half the rate of lung tumor development, and no large tumors formed, according to the study in Nature.