SPOT-MAS Lung: AI-Powered Blood Test Brings New Hope to High-Risk Non-Smokers in Asia

Korea Herald

20-05-2025

SINGAPORE, May 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In a bold step toward equitable cancer care, Gene Solutions introduces SPOT-MAS Lung, a next-generation blood-based test powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and multi-omics analysis. Designed with lung-specific features, SPOT-MAS Lung may offer a promising approach for earlier detection in Asia—especially among asymptomatic individuals who are often missed by traditional screening, or patients with symptoms but inconclusive imaging results.
Why does Lung Cancer Detection Matters in Asia lung cancer detection?
Asia bears the highest disease burden of lung cancer, accounting for 62% of global lung cancer deaths (1). Alarmingly, nearly 50% of patients in the region are diagnosed at the metastatic stage, when symptoms appear, and curative treatment is often no longer possible (2). When detected early, however, the prognosis improves dramatically — with 5-year survival rates increasing more than fourfold (3). Therefore, early screening plays a critical role in improving patient outcomes.
A Missed Window: Asymptomatic Patients Outside the Guidelines
Although smoking-based screening has been effective for certain populations, complementary approaches could help broaden detection to include other at-risk groups (4). Lung cancer in never-smokers (LCINS) was the fifth leading cause of cancer death globally (5). In Asia, 61.9% to 72.9% of lung cancer cases may be missed under current screening frameworks, with never-smokers disproportionately affected (6, 7). Notably, among women with lung cancer, 84.5% did not meet screening eligibility (6), leaving many asymptomatic individuals undetected until treatment is no longer curative.
Each Asian country defines the high-risk population for lung cancer screening differently. However, in most cases, "high-risk" is commonly understood as individuals with a smoking history exceeding 30 pack-years (8). Only a few countries—such as China—include additional criteria, such as living or working in the same room with smokers for ≥20 years (9). Other potentially high-risk groups remain unaddressed or are not included in official screening recommendations.
Unclear Pathways for Symptomatic Cases
Despite its role in standardizing low-dose CT (LDCT) screening for lung cancer, the Lung-RADS system has notable limitations that can complicate clinical decision-making. One major challenge is the lack of guidance for ambiguous findings—such as lung nodules that become denser without increasing in size. These scenarios are not clearly addressed in current Lung-RADS criteria, leaving clinicians uncertain about the next steps (10). As a result, patients may face either unnecessary follow-up procedures or delays in treatment.
SPOT-MAS is a blood-based test developed by Gene Solutions to detect cancer by analyzing multiple features of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) shed by tumor cells. It was previously validated as a multi-cancer early detection (MCED) assay through a longitudinal study of 9,024 healthy individuals (11). While the ability to screen for multiple cancers—including lung cancer—in a single blood draw is a promising milestone, a major challenge remains making such advanced testing affordable at scale.
To address this challenge, SPOT-MAS Lung test integrates a multi-omics tumor ATLAS with AI models trained on Asian population data to reduce the cost while maintaining high performance with 90% sensitivity and 92% specificity (12). This test applies analyzing a comprehensive set of biological signals including fragmentomics, nucleosome positioning, copy number alterations (CNAs), and 4-mer end motifs. Outstanding results from analytical evaluations were published in Future Oncology and presented at the European Lung Cancer Congress (ESMO Lung 2025). Importantly, the SPOT-MAS Lung study demonstrated no significant difference in classification performance between smokers and non-smokers (12), supporting its utility for early detection in high-risk groups—particularly in Asia, where never-smoker lung cancer is disproportionately common.
For asymptomatic individuals at high risk, such as never-smokers or women, SPOT-MAS Lung's non-invasive, blood-based approach is a hope to make early detection more accessible. Meanwhile, for patients with symptoms but inconclusive imaging, SPOT-MAS Lung might provide a way to monitor molecular changes over time, offering clinicians additional insights to support timely and informed decisions. By complementing current screening programs, SPOT-MAS Lung helps ensure that no one is left behind on the path to early diagnosis. Another multicenter validation study is planned in Singapore to prospectively assess the performance of the SPOT-MAS Lung test in both screening and diagnostic populations.
Prof. Dr. Anand Sachithanandan, Founding President of Lung Cancer Network Malaysia (LCNM), emphasized the value of innovation in early detection:
"The technology has immense potential to refine and augment existing screening, including addressing the unmet need to diagnose lung cancer earlier in high-risk non-smokers — a cohort neglected by traditional screening criteria."
Community-Based Screening to Bridge the Gap
To translate clinical innovation into public impact, Gene Solutions partnered with 365 Cancer Prevention Society (365CPS) and Bethesda Medical Centre to bring SPOT-MAS Lung into the community. As part of a public health initiative in Singapore, the collaboration offered 120 free tests through an outreach screening event designed to increase awareness and expand access to early detection.
"Bethesda is proud to collaborate with Gene Solutions and 365CPS in this meaningful initiative," said a Bethesda spokesperson. "Early detection is crucial in cancer prevention and management, and we are dedicated to supporting community-based efforts that promote health equity."
Ultimately, regardless of the method, raising awareness around detection quality—especially for high-risk individuals—is essential. Only through earlier, more inclusive detection can we begin to close the critical gaps in lung cancer outcomes. This aligns with Gene Solutions' core mission: to deliver accessible, precision-based cancer screening that meets the needs of real people, in real communities, across Asia.
Gene Solutions, a multinational biotech company in Asia, is leading the way in leveraging advanced AI and ctDNA technologies for innovative cancer detection solutions. The company partners with over 4,500 hospitals and clinics across Southeast Asia and boasts a team of approximately 250 biology experts and technicians out of a total of 700 employees.
Gene Solutions has published more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and conducted over 50 multi-center studies across the region. The company, recognized for its proprietary research and CAP-accredited laboratories in Singapore and Vietnam, combines multi-dimensional genomics with AI-driven approaches to transform cancer care.
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(3) Statistics adapted from the American Cancer Society's (ACS) publication, Cancer Facts & Figures 2022 and Cancer Facts & Figures 2021; the ACS website; and the International Agency for Cancer Research website.
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