Novel blood-based biomarker identified by Prof. Hyun Koo Kim’s team enables early lung cancer detection and prognosis prediction

Findings also suggest potential for future targeted lung cancer therapies

A collaborative research team led by Professor Hyun Koo Kim of Korea University College of Medicine has identified a novel blood-based biomarker capable of detecting early-stage lung cancer and predicting patient prognosis.

The research team, consisting of Professor Hyun Koo Kim of the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Korea University Guro Hospital, Research Professor Byeong Hyeon Choi of the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Professor Hyonggin An of the Department of Biostatistics, and Professor Yeonho Choi of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Korea University, demonstrated that GRIP and coiled-coil domain-containing protein 2 (GCC2) present in small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) circulating in the bloodstream can serve as both a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for early-stage lung adenocarcinoma.

Lung cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, and early detection is widely recognized as a critical factor in improving treatment outcomes. However, because early-stage lung cancer often presents with few or no symptoms, conventional diagnostic approaches that rely on imaging studies and tissue biopsies have limitations in early detection and prognosis assessment.

To address this challenge, the researchers focused on GCC2 protein contained within small extracellular vesicles found in blood. sEVs are nanoscale particles secreted by cells that carry molecular information reflecting cellular characteristics and disease progression. As a result, they have emerged as promising candidates for liquid biopsy-based biomarker development.

Through a multicenter collaboration involving five hospitals in Korea, the research team collected and analyzed plasma samples from a total of 470 individuals, including 150 healthy controls and 320 patients with lung adenocarcinoma.

sEV-GCC2 Accurately Distinguishes Lung Adenocarcinoma Patients from Healthy Individuals

Strong Potential for Early Diagnosis and Prognostic Assessment

The study revealed that circulating levels of sEV-GCC2 were significantly higher in patients with lung adenocarcinoma than in healthy controls. Notably, sEV-GCC2 demonstrated excellent diagnostic performance, distinguishing patients from healthy individuals with a high degree of accuracy (AUC = 0.904), supporting its potential as a blood-based biomarker for early lung cancer detection.

In addition to its diagnostic value, sEV-GCC2 was also found to be associated with patient prognosis. The researchers observed that patients with elevated preoperative levels of sEV-GCC2 were at greater risk of recurrence and showed associations with recurrence-free survival outcomes. These findings suggest that the biomarker may help assess postoperative recurrence risk and support personalized treatment planning.

Furthermore, cellular and animal studies demonstrated that sEV-GCC2 may play a role in cancer cell proliferation, tumor growth, and lymph node metastasis. These findings indicate that GCC2 may represent more than a diagnostic biomarker; it may also function as a therapeutic target involved in lung cancer progression and aggressiveness.

Potential Expansion into Targeted Therapy Development

“This study demonstrates the potential of a blood-based biomarker for identifying early-stage lung cancer using clinical blood samples collected from multiple hospitals across Korea,” said Professor Hyun Koo Kim.

“We believe this biomarker could contribute to risk stratification and treatment planning both before and after surgery. Importantly, our findings also suggest that GCC2 may be involved in lung cancer progression and malignant transformation, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target. This opens opportunities for future research into GCC2-based targeted therapies for lung cancer.”

The study was published in Journal of Extracellular Vesicles (Impact Factor: 21.7)under the title “GCC2 in Small Extracellular Vesicles as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker of Early-Stage Lung Adenocarcinoma.”