Lung Cancer in Never Smokers

GENE VARIATION LINKED TO HIGHER RISK OF LUNG CANCER IN NEVER SMOKERS

Variations in a gene called GPC5 have been identified which might contribute to a significantly higher risk of developing lung cancer in people who have never smoked. The findings from the largest effort to outline the genetic changes involved in lung cancer in never smokers (LCINS), published in an Article Online First in The Lancet Oncology, suggest that GPC5 might be a new target for investigation and drug development, and could be used to identify high-risk individuals.

Lung cancer in people who have never smoked (defined as those who have smoked less than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime) is an increasing public-health problem, responsible for a quarter of all lung cancer cases worldwide. Despite attempts to identify the specific genetic mechanisms responsible, the causes of lung cancer in never-smokers remain poorly understood. Recent studies have identified several candidate genes that have a moderate effect on the risk of lung cancer, but no study has identified the genetic basis of lung cancer in never smokers.

Ping Yang from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, USA, led an international team in a four-stage study to try and identify genetic variations responsible for increasing the risk of LCINS. The researchers began by examining DNA samples from 754 never smokers, and analysed 331918 DNA variants known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 377 matched case-control pairs* to find the genetic variations most likely to alter the risk of lung cancer in never smokers.

The Mayo genome-wide association study used conditional logistical regression, a type of statistical analysis, to identify associations between SNPs and lung cancer risk while controlling for history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), exposure to second-hand smoke, and family history of lung cancer. Two specific genetic markers or SNPs (rs2352028 and rs235209) emerged as significant.

To validate their findings, the researchers took the 44 most frequently occurring genetic alterations from the Mayo study and assessed them in two additional independent groups of never smokers: 735 (328 patients and 407 healthy controls) from the MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston study and 253 (92 patients and 161 healthy controls) from the Harvard University in Boston study. The two SNPs remained significant in both these replication sets.

A further replication of rs2352028 was done in 530 never smokers in the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) study. The authors estimate that more than 10% of lung cancer cases in never smokers could be attributed to genetic variations at this locus.

Finally, a series of statistical analyses and analyses of gene-expression levels were done to further clarify the causal relationship between the two validated SNPs and the risk of LCINS. The results strongly indicated that the top two SNPs were associated with LCINS through their regulation of GPC5 expression.

Further tests showed that GPC5 expression levels were 50% lower in adenocarcinoma (the most common form of lung cancer) than in matched normal lung tissue, indicating that reduced GPC5 expression could be specific for adenocarcinoma in never smokers.

The authors conclude: “Genetic variants at 13q31.3 alter the expression of GPC5, and are associated with susceptibility to lung cancer in never smokers…Future studies are needed to investigate the regulatory effects of these SNPs (or tagged variants) and the functional role of GPC5 in lung tumorigenesis.”

In an accompanying Comment, Ramaswamy Govindan cautions that: “Even though this study reports a two-fold reduction in GPC5 expression in adenocarcinoma tissues compared to matched normal controls, it is far from clear how reduced GPC5 expression could predispose individuals to lung cancer. More studies are needed to confirm these preliminary observations in the tumour samples from those with no history of tobacco smoking.”

http://www.exchangemagazine.com/morningpost/2010/week11/Friday/031910.htm

COUNTDOWN BEGINS: 26 DAYS!!!

Run for a Purpose is only 26 days away! You don't want to miss out on this event. We are having a 5K run, Mile Fun Run & KidsK March 27th in McKinney, TX.

Check out www.runforapurpose.com to register and find out more about this event!!!

Run for a Purpose!

All that has been on my mind lately is running. I wake up thinking about it, dream about it, and talk about it 24/7. This hasn't happened overnight, but has been a progression for me. I started running about 6 months ago, but it is even more on my mind and thoughts because of the 1st Annual Run for a Purpose! This is a 5K, 1Mile Fun Run, & KidsK. All of the proceeds go to Lung Cancer research at M.D. Anderson and student college scholarships. So you might ask yourself why do I Run for a Purpose??? *to raise awareness about lung cancer, to raise money for lung cancer research and college scholarships, to have fun, to be healthy, and to run for someone who cannot. Leave us comments why you Run for a Purpose.

www.runforapurpose.com (for more info or to register - this race used chip timing!)

Run for a Purpose!!!

Get excited! We are having a 5K run, 1 mile walk/run and KidsK in McKinney, Texas on March 27th. So mark your calenders to make it out to this awesome event. Below is the paper copy of the application. The application will provide all the information needed for the run. Feel free to copy this and fill out and mail in. Pass the information on to friends and family. Please be looking out for another post with out actual website where you can register for the event online. If you have any questions about the run, or the application please email me at Lindsey.Vaughn@hotmail.com

Looking forward to seeing you there!



www.rexannasfoundation.com

GoodSearch for Rexanna's Foundation

We have something new and exciting we'd like to share with you! It's the new Rexanna's Foundation for Fighting Lung Cancer toolbar - once added to internet explorer new or Firefox, each time you shop at more than 1,300 stores (from Amazon to Zazzle!) a percentage of your purchase will automatically be donated to Rexanna's Foundation for Fighting Lung Cancer - at no cost to you (and you may even save money as the toolbar provides coupons and deals as well!). The toolbar also has a search box and each time you search the Internet, about a penny is donated to Rexanna's Foundation for Fighting Lung Cancer.

Please pass this along to all of your friends. The 2 minutes it takes to add this toolbard to your browser can make a lifetime of difference!

Get the toolbar NOW!
http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/rexannas-foundation-for-fighting-lung-canc
er

50 MILES!!!

Yes, you heard this right! Our T.E.A.M. Coordinator is not only making a difference with the T.E.A.M programs, but she is taking a stand and raising money for the foundation. She raised $2500!!! You ask how....RUNNING 50 MILES!!! YES 50!!!

Personally, I have never heard of anyone doing that in my life! It takes a long time to just drive 50 miles! :) Check out a few words from this amazing person who is making a difference in the fight against lung cancer!

Hello!

Well, The Cactus Rose is done.. my legs are dead, but I feel fantastic. I want to say thank you to those of you who donated, prayed, or supported us with your thoughts. Overall the course was WAY HARD! My brother in law talked about the "hills". That is NOT the Texas Hill Country.. THOSE ARE MOUNTAINS! We didn't quite make the time that we were shooting for, but we finished. I was somehow able to finish 5th in girls and overall we finished 21st of 55 finishers.

We started when it was dark... and came to the peak of our first "hill" right at sunrise. The view was incredible. At that moment, I could feel postive energy flowing through me! I felt like a champ after the first 25miles and was ready to take on the rest of the beast. I'm pretty sure Rexanna was pushing me up the hills and cringed as I sang out of tune, "Aint no mountain high enough" to push us through it.

The ending was sweet... 50 miles... we made 50 miles. Who does that? Well it was just a small feat as there were 50 others running the 100mile! We were emotional and teared up as we held up our Rexanna sign. The run was awesome. Doing it for this cause made it possible. There was never a time I even thought about quitting. THANK YOU for helping us get to our goal! We're almost there!



Kristen & her brother-in-law, Troy waiting to start the race!





Half way through...25 miles



Coming up on the finish line! woohoo!



Time Clock




Thank you Kristen for all you are doing and will continue to do!

Save the Date!

Mark your calendar for March 27th. Rexanna's Foundation is going to be having a 5K event in McKinney, Texas.

We need:

Sponsors
Volunteers
Runners
Advice

Comment if you are interested in any of these areas!

IT'S ALL GOOD!