A lung cancer called mesothelioma caused over 2,000 deaths in the UK last year, more deaths than were caused by all road accidents. The cancer develops following breathing in airborne asbestos fibres, usually many years after exposure. By the time symptoms appear and the condition is diagnosed it has often spread extensively and treatment has little success. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on 11 October 2012 reported that a protein called fibulin-3 is raised in the blood and lung fluid from patients with the disease, raising the hope that this test may allow earlier diagnosis and treatment.