LAUSR

Future Considerations Although the blood test/PLCOm2012 model could be implemented as a laboratory-developed test in the near future, Food and Drug Administration approval would likely require an evaluation through a prospective clinical trial. However, the test may not be ready for wide distribution yet, says Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, the Ensign Professor of Medicine, chief of medical oncology, and deputy director for clinical affairs at the Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital and assistant dean for translational research at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. “Who we screen now is based strictly on ageand smoking-related criteria,” Dr. Herbst says. “This molecular test can help identify individuals who are at a higher risk. This is still a small study in a selected subgroup. It is very encouraging, however, and generates a hypothesis for future studies.”