Molecular Genetic Changes Found in Human Lung Cancer and Its Precursor Lesions (original) (raw)

1. A.F. Gazdar*,†,
2. S. Bader*,
3. J. Hung*,
4. Y. Kishimoto*,
5. Y. Sekido*,
6. K. Sugio*,
7. A. Virmani*,
8. J. Fleming*,
9. D.P. Carbone*,‡, and
10. J.D. Minna*,‡,§
11. *Simmons Cancer Center, and Departments of †Pathology, ‡Internal Medicine, and §Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75235-8590

Excerpt

LUNG CANCER IS CAUSED BY MUTATIONS IN DOMINANT AND RECESSIVE ONCOGENES

Lung cancer is the most common cancer killer of men and women in the United States. Current treatment options lead to cure in only 10%, a rate that has not altered in more than a decade (Minna 1992). Lung cancers frequently metastasize and are seldom diagnosed at an early curative stage. In contrast, lung cancer is largely preventable by stopping carcinogen exposure from cigarette smoke. Although it is highly desirable to stop all cigarette smoking, it is also realistic to target antismoking and chemoprevention efforts to those persons with the highest risk of developing lung cancer. Because a large fraction of lung cancers develop in former cigarette smokers, it first may be most practical to target these efforts to exsmokers, who for many years will still have a significantly increased risk of developing lung cancer.

Clinically evident lung cancer...