The discovery of a protein that appears to be found in all types of tumors may lead to a simple blood test to screen for early cancers, according to a University of Tennessee biochemist.

The chief advantage of the test, which is being evaluated as a potential routine screening technique for use in doctors' offices and medical labs, is that it appears to be able to detect any kind of cancer, Dr. Edsel Bucovaz reported at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Chicago.

"B-protein detects cancer at an early stage of development," Bucovaz said. "There is little doubt that treatment of cancer would have a better success record if cancer were detected at an earlier stage, when treatment is most successful," he said.