Lung Cancer Gene Found

Location of Lung Cancer Gene Found

Researchers Closing in on Susceptibility Gene

Scientists have narrowed the search for a lung cancer gene to a small region of a chromosome, according to results of a new study.

The gene itself has not been found, but identifying the position of the gene or genes that may identify people with an increased risk of developing lung cancer is a major discovery. Findings from the study, which appeared in the September issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, will provide scientists with a specific area to search for the gene.

The discovery was made by the Genetic Epidemiology of Lung Cancer Consortium (GELCC), a research team from 12 institutions including the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), both part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Study of families reveals results

“This study provides the first clear evidence for a highly familial form of lung cancer,” says the study’s co-first author Christopher Amos, M.D., professor in M. D. Anderson's Department of Epidemiology.

Fifty-two families were involved in the study. Thirty-six of the 52 had affected members in at least two generations. The families were selected only if they had multiple individuals (at least three) affected by lung cancer.

Researchers used 392 known genetic markers, which are DNA sequences known to be common sites of genetic variation. They compared the different variations each gene can take in all family members willing to participate in the study. Blood, buccal (cheek) cells and archival specimens were used as sources of DNA for identifying the genetic blueprint of family members of relatives with lung cancer.

In their study, researchers found strong evidence that a lung cancer susceptibility gene (or genes) is inherited with a region on chromosome 6, one of the body's 22 pairs of chromosomes.

Smoking raises risk with inherited gene

The study also included several analyses that incorporated the effects of smoking, says Amos, who directed the design of the study and the analytical team that compiled the results.

Among several results, the study found that “smoking any amount of cigarettes appeared to greatly increase an individual's chance of getting lung cancer if they had this inherited susceptibility to lung cancer,” Amos says.

Second-hand smoke also may increase lung cancer risk for a person with the identified region. And people without the lung cancer susceptibility genes had a greater risk of cancer the more they smoked.

One hope for the study is that it could lead scientists to discover why some people are diagnosed with lung cancer even if they never smoked.

GELCC members will continue examining the region of chromosome 6, with the goal of finding the gene (or genes) that can identify lung cancer risk:

“In other cancers, discovery of susceptibility genes has led to greater understanding of the biological processes that cause these diseases and ultimately will lead to better methods for prevention and treatment,” the study report says. “Likewise, we believe that discovery of lung cancer susceptibility genes will also be important in improving our understanding of this devastating disease.”

This article was submitted from CancerWise