A new blood test could increase early detection of lung cancer, possibly increasing survival rates, WebMD reported Sept. 18.

Panacea Pharmaceuticals is developing the test, which detects a protein called HAAH; elevated levels of the protein have been found in patients with lung cancer as well as more than 20 other types of cancer.

A blood test showing high levels of HAAH would prompt doctors to run more comprehensive cancer tests, experts said. The Panacea test was positive in 99 percent of patients with lung cancer, while those without cancer had nearly undetectable levels of HAAH.

"The important thing is that we can pick up even stage I lung cancer," said researcher Mark Semenuk of Panacea. "To diagnose lung cancer really early provides the opportunity for curative treatment. Unfortunately, lung cancer does not cause symptoms until fairly late in the disease process."

Details on the research were prevented at the recent American Association for Cancer Research conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development.