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Two nearly identical locks are opened by the same pick. They look alike on the outside, but inside the mechanisms differ. Much the same can be said for the two main types of non-small cell lung cancer — adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Under a microscope, they can be confused, yet they require different treatments. That's where the quantum "magnifier" comes in.

Researchers took data on gene activity and chemical "switches" (DNA methylation) from hundreds of patients. First, they identified genes that behave differently in tumor versus healthy tissue, as if in one room the light is on and in another it's off. Then they trained a quantum classifier on these differences. It doesn't work like a regular program; instead, it harnesses the laws of the quantum world, where a particle can exist in multiple states at once. This allows it to rapidly sift through many combinations of features and find the most important ones.

Then comes the most interesting part. The genes flagged by the quantum algorithm turned out to be linked to nerve signal transmission, the work of ion channels (tiny pores in cell membranes), and neuron development. Moreover, biochemical pathway analysis revealed chains familiar to oncologists — neurotrophin, MAPK, Ras, and PI3K-Akt. These involve proteins NGFR, NTRK2, and NTF3. It seems the tumor uses the same signaling routes as the nervous system to grow and survive. This opens new drug targets.

So the quantum "magnifier" not only refined the diagnosis but also highlighted hidden mechanisms of the disease. In the future, such methods could help doctors choose therapy not by the tumor's appearance but by its molecular portrait — quickly and accurately.