Why Care? | What Can We Learn? | Who Are We Studying? | What Are Some Of Our Results?

WHY CARE ABOUT LUNG CANCER?
Here are the whopping statistics about lung cancer:

•  It will be diagnosed in over 173,000 people in the United States in 2004
•  It is the number one cancer killer in both men and women, killing over 160,000 people in
bg2004
•  Lung Cancer kills more people than breast, colon and prostate cancers together.
•  Between 80-90% of lung cancer patients have smoked in the past or are current smokers
•  The lifetime risk of a person who ever smoked developing lung cancer is approximately 1110%.
•  Fewer than one in six people who are diagnosed with lung cancer will still be alive five 11years later.
•  Lung cancer is being seen more and more in people who have quit smoking.

The more we learn about what leads to this terrible killer, the more we can find ways to prevent and treat this cancer.

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WHAT CAN WE LEARN BY STUDYING LUNG CANCER?
Led by Dr. David C. Christiani , the Harvard School of Public Health Lung Cancer Susceptibility and Outcomes Study, started recruiting patients at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1992. It has the following goals:

GOAL 1: WE WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DIFFERENT RISK FACTORS FOR LUNG CANCER.

Although the major risk factor for lung cancer is cigarette smoking, other factors may affect the role of cigarette smoking in the development of lung cancer. One major effort is to evaluate the risk factors leading up to lung cancer. We are interested in the genetic factors and environmental or behavioral factors. We have special interest in the following topics:

•  How genetic factors modulate cigarette smoking in lung cancer risk.
•  How genetic factors modulate second hand smoke in lung cancer risk
•  How genetics modulate occupational risk factors in lung cancer 11development.

GOAL 2: WE WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW GENETICS MAY AFFECT THE PROGNOSIS OF LUNG CANCER AND WHY PATIENTS RESPOND TO LUNG CANCER TREATMENTS DIFFERENTLY

•  What are the genetic factors that affect prognosis of lung cancer?
•  What are the tumor factors that affect prognosis of lung cancer?
•  Can we predict how a person will respond to various lung cancer 11treatments (in terms of efficacy and side effects)?

GOAL 3: WE WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SPECIAL TYPES OF LUNG CANCER PATIENTS

We wish to learn more about the following subgroups of lung cancer patients

•  Bronchiolo-alveolar carcinoma (BAC) patients
•  Other types of adenocarcinoma patients
•  Patients who develop lung cancer who are lifetime non-smokers
•  Patients under the age of 50 years who develop lung cancer.

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WHO ARE WE STUDYING?
Currently we are recruiting lung cancer patients seen at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA to our study. From 1992-2003 we have recruited over 1600 lung cancer patients along with suitable controls (i.e., people who do not have lung cancer who can serve as comparisons) to this study, and plan on recruiting more patients in the next few years.

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WHAT ARE SOME OF OUR RESULTS?
This section is still under construction. Click here for a list of publications resulting from this study.

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