Lung Cancer

Disease Background

There are several forms of lung cancer. Some originate in the cells of the lungs while others spread (metastasize) to the lung from different parts of the body. Of the cancers that originate in the lung, there are two major types that are identified by how the cells appear under a microscope. The most common form is non-small cell lung cancer, which generally grows and spreads relatively slowly. There are three main types of non-small-cell lung cancer. They are named for the type of cells in which the cancer develops: squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and large-cell carcinoma.

Small-cell lung cancer, sometimes called oat-cell cancer, is less common than non-small-cell lung cancer, grows more quickly and is more likely to spread to other organs in the body. Each type of lung cancer is treated differently.

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Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women. In 2007, the U.S. will see more than 213,380 new cases diagnosed, and 160,390 people will die from the disease. Although lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, there are currently about 330,000 long-term survivors living in the U.S.

The vast majority of cases of lung cancer are related to the use of tobacco. It is clear that the best way to prevent lung cancer is to quit (or never start) smoking. The sooner a person quits smoking the better. Even if an individual has been smoking for many years, it is believed that quitting can be a benefit.

Besides tobacco use, other risk factors include exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, radon gas, asbestos and certain air pollutants, such as by-products of the combustion of diesel and other fossil fuels. People who have had lung cancer are more likely to develop a second lung cancer compared with people who have never had lung cancer.

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Our Research

Overview of Hutchinson Center Research

Early detection saves lives

Survival rates for lung and many other common cancers are highest when the disease is detected and when tumors are confined to the organ of origin, before they have spread to other parts of the body. The Hutchinson Center leads a major research effort — the Early Detection and Intervention Initiative — dedicated to discovering the most effective ways to find and treat cancer at its earliest stages through innovative new technologies far more powerful than current methods. The research focuses on the discovery of telltale molecules — called biomarkers — released by tumors into the blood that can be used to develop tests that reveal the presence of cancer before symptoms emerge. Among these projects is our leadership of a Lung Cancer Biomarkers Discovery Laboratory, which is part of the National Cancer Institute's Early Detection Research Network.

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New treatment options for lung-cancer patients

At the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, the Hutchinson Center's patient-care partner, lung-cancer patients have access to clinical trials for new treatment options. One study currently under way compares the effectiveness of two different chemotherapy regimens — ALIMTA® and Cisplatin versus GEMZAR® and Cisplatin — in patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

Two other lung-cancer trials expected to begin within the next year will evaluate new drugs and techniques that could make it easier for doctors to prescribe the most effective initial course of therapy for each patient's unique disease characteristics. Since most lung-cancer cases are diagnosed when the disease is advanced and requires immediate intervention, patients will greatly benefit from this knowledge.

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Helping kids kick the habit

Avoiding tobacco use is the best way to reduce the risk of lung cancer. The Hutchinson Center conducts extensive research to identify the best ways to prevent children from smoking or to encourage young smokers to quit. Our findings have shown:

• 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. If one parent quits by the time the child is 8 or 9, the child's odds of becoming a daily or monthly smoker drop 25 percent. If both parents quit, the odds drop 40 percent.
• Parents who quit smoking before their children reach third grade also nearly double the chances that their children would quit smoking in young adulthood if they were to start.
• These findings regarding parental influences on children's smoking behavior arose from the landmark Hutchinson Smoking Prevention Project, the largest and longest school-based intervention trial ever conducted in smoking-prevention research. Overall the 15-year, National Cancer Institute-funded study involved 8,400 students and 600 teachers throughout 40 school districts in Washington.

Tracking lung cancer's roots

Basic research at the Hutchinson Center seeks to discover how and why lung cancer develops in certain individuals, which will lead to new ways to prevent, detect and treat the disease. Projects include:

• Why do some people who have never smoked a cigarette in their lives develop lung cancer, while others who have smoked heavily since their teen years never show signs of the disease? Hutchinson Center scientists aims to determine if particular genes are sensitive to the actions of chemical toxins and how these genes are involved in the development of cancer. Long-term exposure to toxins, such as asbestos or tobacco smoke, can induce mutations, or changes in the DNA of the exposed cells, resulting in altered gene functions.
• Hutchinson Center research has revealed a surprising explanation for how a cancer-causing animal virus spurs the growth of lung tumors. The work focused on the jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV), which causes a contagious lung cancer in sheep and goats. Since 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.

Relevant Articles

• A kinder, gentler lung surgery
  
  
• Li study associates long-term smoking with increased risk of breast cancer
  
  
• Pulmonary Function Lab promotes lung-health awareness
  
  
• Lung specialist Jason Chien develops universal tool to predict mortality
  
  
• Study reveals increased lung-cancer risks among Asian-American women
  
  
• Pushing the envelope on lung-cancer research — Human Biology Division study of sheep tumor virus may lead to new model for understanding lung cancer, effective gene therapy
  
  
• A moving message for heavy smokers — PHS study builds on body of research showing exercise can help reduce cancer risk and mortality among smokers
  
  
• Enduring effects of lung-cancer supplement study — Six years after CARET study ended, women who took supplements remained at higher risk for lung cancer, death
  
  
• CARET's keys to earlier detection — PHS study finds lifetime smokers with chronic bronchitis or emphysema are at increased risk of developing lung cancer
  
  
• Targeting lung-cancer therapy — By bringing new clinical trials to the Alliance, Renato Martins seeks to improve outcomes for patients with advanced lung cancer
  
  

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