Lung Cancer

• Lung cancer ranks as the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women in the United States. It is also one of the most common cancers in the world. The majority of lung cancers are related to smoking.
  
  
• There are two major types of lung cancer: non-small cell lung cancer and small-cell lung cancer. Non-small cell lung cancer, which has three subtypes, is the most common form. Small-cell lung cancer, sometimes called oat-cell cancer, is less common and tends to spread quickly to other body organs early in the disease. Each type of lung cancer is treated differently.

Linking exercise and lung cancer risk - Hutchinson Center research has found that current and former heavy smokers may reduce their risk of getting lung cancer and getting any kind of cancer by increasing the amount that they exercise. The results varied by age group and gender. Learn more »

Teens and smoking – How can we successfully persuade teens and young adults to break their smoking habit? Our researchers demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to successfully recruit and retain a large number of adolescent smokers into a smoking intervention study and, through personalized, proactive telephone counseling, significantly impact rates of six-month continuous quitting. This largest ever randomized study of teen smoking cessation was led by Dr. Art Peterson, Kathleen Kealey, Dr. Jonathan Bricker, Sue Mann, Patrick Marek and Jingmin Liu. Learn more »

Lung cancer in sheep - Hutchinson Center researcher Dr. Dusty Miller and colleagues have discovered key information about why a virus known as jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) causes a contagious lung cancer in sheep and goats. The work is significant because humans can develop a type of lung cancer, unrelated to smoking, that is similar to the sheep disease. The findings may lead to new insights into the cause of the disease in men and women—and ultimately, to improved treatments. Learn more »

School-based intervention – Our researchers led the 15-year Hutchinson Smoking Prevention Project, a school-based smoking prevention effort that touched 8,400 students and 600 teachers throughout 40 school districts in Washington state. Our research uncovered strong links between smoking in parents and their children, including parents who quit smoking before their child reaches third grade will significantly reduce the child's odds of becoming a smoker by the time he or she is a senior in high school. Learn more »

Proteins as indicators - A research team led by Dr. Samir Hanash has discovered proteins in the blood associated with early lung cancer development in mice and humans. The advance brings the reality of a blood test for the early detection and diagnosis of lung cancer a step closer. Such a test could be an effective tool for screening individuals at high risk of developing the disease. Learn more »

Blood test – Hanash and colleagues are also working on developing non-invasive blood-based tests to detect lung cancer before the onset of symptoms. His group has successfully validated a panel of biomarkers that could potentially be used for early detection of lung cancer. The test, which relies on immune-system signals, much like an HIV test, was shown to detect the presence of lung cancer up to a year prior to diagnosis. Learn more »

Detection in non-smokers - Hanash is leading a multi-institutional effort to discover early indicators of the presence of lung cancer in people who have never smoked. The research studies are designed to create a better understanding of the biology of lung cancer and to develop a test to detect early stage lung cancer in lifetime nonsmokers and ex-smokers. This work is important because global estimates suggest that as many as 25 percent of all lung cancers worldwide—15 percent of those in men and 50 percent of those in women—are not attributable to smoking. Learn more »

Innovation in surgery - Dr. Michael Mulligan and his colleagues at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, the Hutchinson Center's patient-treatment partner, have developed a minimally invasive technique known as video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). Well suited for removing early stage lung cancer, the procedure works by inserting a tiny camera through a millimeters-long incision. This allows the surgeon to see inside a patient's chest and operate without the same impact to surrounding tissue that a traditional, open-chest procedure requires. Learn more »