Study Sheds New Light on Lung Cancer

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The findings of a multi-institution team of researchers give key insight into genetic changes that take place in the most common form of lung cancer, lung adenocarcinoma.

Members of the Tumor Sequencing Project (TSP) consortium have successfully identified 26 genes that are frequently mutated in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. These findings more than double the number of genes previously known to be associated with the deadly disease. Beyond identification, the TSP team also detailed key pathways involved in the disease and found patterns of mutation common among different subgroups of lung cancer patients.

During the study, the TSP team purified DNA from tumor samples and matching non-cancerous tissues donated by 188 patients with lung adenocarcinoma. The team then sequences the DNA to look for mutations in 623 genes with potential relationships to cancer.

“By harnessing the power of genomic research, this pioneering work has painted the clearest and most complete portrait yet of lung cancer’s molecular complexities. This big picture perspective will help to focus our research vision and speed our efforts to develop new strategies for disarming this common and devastating disease,” Acting Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, Alan E. Guttmacher, M.D., was quoted as saying.

Genetic findings suggest that certain lung cancer patients might benefit from chemotherapy drugs currently used to treat other types of cancers.

More than one million people worldwide die of lung cancer each year, including more than 150,000 in the United States. Lung adenocarcinoma is the most frequently diagnosed form of lung cancer. The average five-year survival rate currently is about 15 percent.

SOURCE: Nature, 2008;455:1069-1075