Prognosis of Lung Cancer: Heredity or Environment

Abstract

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. among men and women. Only 16% of lung cancer patients survive more than five years. African Americans, poor, uninsured, and less educated individuals are more likely to die from lung cancer. These groups of patients are also less likely to have beneficial surgery that may cure lung cancer. Because few lung cancer research studies have specifically focused on low income or African American populations, the factors influencing their survival from lung cancer are not well understood. In our analysis of the impact of genetic ancestry on lung cancer survival, we found that African ancestry did not have a significant impact on survival when stage and treatment were included in the multivariable model. These findings support that early detection and early stage of presentation will have the greatest impact on survival. We also examined genetic variants from prior lung cancer survival studies conducted in European American populations to determine their association in African Americans. Genetic analyses also considered common variants in exonic gene regions associated with lung cancer survival. Our analyses identified gene regions that likely play a role in lung cancer survival among African Americans.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2015
Accession Number
AD1002953

Entities

People

  • Melinda C. Aldrich

Organizations

  • Vanderbilt University

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • African Americans
  • Biomedical Research
  • Cancer
  • Demography
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Epidemiology
  • Genetics
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Lung Cancer
  • Medical Genetics
  • Medical Personnel
  • Neoplasms
  • Oncology
  • Public Health
  • Surgery
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Molecular and genetic basis of cancer.

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology