When Genes ate, Lung Cancer Grows and Spreads

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When Genes ate, Lung Cancer Grows and Spreads

Published: Mar. 9, 2009

Updated: Mar. 9, 2009

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Lung Cancer

Health Articles

Duke Lung Cancer Research at Work

Genomic Technology a Pioneering New Tool in Lung Cancer Treatment

By Duke Medicine News and Communications

The combined expression of three specific genes in lung cancer tumors may

predict both cancer growth and a poorer prognosis, according to a study led by

researchers in the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy and the Duke

Comprehensive Cancer Center.

" Previous work had shown that three genes -- TTF-1, NKX2-8 and PAX9 -- were

amplified in early stage lung cancer tumors, " said Hsu, MD, a medical

oncologist at Duke and lead investigator on this study.

" Our study showed that these genes actually work together to provide an

environment conductive to the growth and proliferation of cancer cells. "

The researchers published their findings in the March 9, 2009 online edition

of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study was funded by the Emilene Brown Cancer Research Fund, the Jimmy V

Foundation, the American Cancer Society, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Joan's

Legacy Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

The researchers looked at 91 early stage lung cancer tumors and examined them

for co-expression of the three genes, which they hypothesized led to a

greater proliferation of tumor growth and spread.

They correlated their findings with survival data on the patients from whom

the tumors came, and found that patients whose tumors demonstrated

co-expression of the NKX2-8 and TTF-1 genes had survival patterns consistent

with patients

with advanced disease.

In addition, that same cohort of patients appeared to be resistant to

platinum-based chemotherapy, which is typically given to lung cancer patients as

a

first-line therapy, suggesting that there is need for more targeted

therapeutics, Hsu said.

" Clinically, most patients with non-small cell lung cancer are treated with a

platinum- based therapy, but I think that many people agree that targeted

therapeutics represent the future of lung cancer therapy, " Hsu said. " This study

demonstrates that these three lung-specific genes are biologically important

in the initiation and proliferation of lung cancer and could have implications

for how patients are treated. "

More than 180,000 people are diagnosed each year in the United States with

non-small-cell lung cancer, and 150,000 patients die of the disease each year.

Other researchers involved in this study include Chaitanya Acharya, Bala

Balakumaran, Riedel, Mickey Kim, Marvaretta son, Sascha Tuchman,

Sayan Mukherjee, Barry, Holly Dressman, ph Nevins, Mu and Anil

Potti.

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