What is the role of serum biomarkers in lung cancer care and how is it changing? Dr Anand Sachithanadan, a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon with appointments at Sunway Medical and Subang Jaya Medical Centre Malaysia, provides key updates in this recent webinar hosted by Roche Diagnostics Asia Pacific.

“There’s been a growing interest over the last decade in various biomarkers so that we can help to stratify and prognosticate patients better,” says Dr Sachithanadan, who also serves as co-founder and president of Lung Cancer Network Malaysia, an NGO that aims to improve outcomes from lung cancer through awareness, advocacy and education. “It’s really an exciting time to be involved in lung cancer care.”

Dr Sachithanadan’s talk covers three categories of serum biomarkers: (1) auto-antibodies against tumour associated antigens, (2) circulating microRNA and (3) blood tests for tumour antigen. It reviews the latest literature on the use of serum biomarkers in screening, diagnosis and prognosis of lung cancer, concluding with a case study that showcases their practical implementation in a clinical setting.