Cancer Research UK-funded scientists have identified a new molecular marker in blood which could indicate how patients with a type of lung cancer will respond to treatment, according to research published in Clinical Cancer Research.

Researchers at the Physiological Laboratory, University of Liverpool and cancer specialists at Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology found that a molecule called SCG3 mRNA** in the bloodstream has a high association with a type of lung cancer called neuroendocrine small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

The marker could be developed for use in blood tests to see how well patients might respond to treatment for this type of lung cancer. The discovery may in future help doctors make more informed decisions about therapy or recommend that patients take part in trials to try new treatments that might be more effective for them.