Researchers have identified a protein that could help in the early detection of a rare but deadly chest cancer caused by asbestos exposure, a study said on Wednesday.

The finding, reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, could lead to a test for the disease, which is usually detected at a stage when treatments are ineffective and patients only live for another eight months to 18 months.

But the test was unlikely to be available for widespread use until researchers determine if early detection of the tumor, known as pleural mesothelioma, actually leads to improved survival. Such tests are planned.

Currently, only 5 percent of mesotheliomas are spotted early, and even those patients typically die within 34 months.

The results "offer at least a faint glimmer of hope that the fate of future patients with mesothelioma will be better than that of their predecessors," said Mark Cullen of Yale University in a journal editorial.

Mesothelioma strikes 2,500 to 3,000 people in the United States each year. Most are among the 7.5 million U.S. workers who have been exposed to the asbestos used for fireproofing, insulation and soundproofing.

The research team, led by Harvey Pass of the New York University School of Medicine, found that blood levels of the protein osteopontin were six times higher than normal among people with the tumor.

The protein may also help doctors gauge which patients are at highest risk for the cancer, so they can be followed closely.

Mesothelioma attacks the lining of the lungs and the chest cavity. Pipe fitters, boilermakers, miners, electricians, firefighters, foundry workers, shipbuilders, factory workers and construction workers who use asbestos-laden material are the most vulnerable. 

　　一份最新的研究结果称，美国研究人员日前发现，通过对血液中一种蛋白质进行检测，将有助于医生及早发现因为接触石棉而导致的肺癌。这种疾病虽然比较少见，但却是致命的。

　　据路透社10月13日报道，这个新的发现使人们对这种疾病的检测成为了可能。在通常情况下，当这种疾病被发现时，治疗都已经不起作用了，患者也只剩下区区8个月到18个月的生存时间。但目前，这一检测手段还处于研究阶段。直到研究人员确定对胸膜间皮瘤的早期发现是否能确实改善患者的幸存率之后，这一方法才可能得到广泛应用。

　　现在，只有大约5％的间皮瘤能够在早期被发现，而这些患者通常也会在34个月的时间内死亡。

　　美国耶鲁大学的马克·卡伦对此表示，“这至少给人们带来了一些微弱的希望之光，以后那些间皮瘤患者的命运将比现在患者的命运要好一些”。

　　美国纽约大学医学院的哈维·帕斯是该研究的负责人。他领导的研究小组发现，间皮瘤患者的骨桥蛋白（osteopontin）血液水平比正常值高出6倍。这种蛋白也能帮助医生测量哪些患者处于癌症的最高危险之中，由此，医生们就能密切关注这些患者的病情。

　　报道说，美国每年会有2500人到3000人患上这种肿瘤疾病，其中绝大部分是曾接触过石棉的普通工人。这一研究成果被发表在英国的《新英格兰医学杂志》上。