The goal, he says, is to “confirm genetic alterations previously tied to lung cancer and potentially uncover other mutations we have not yet seen that deserve a particular treatment strategy.”
In the long-term, this insight, he adds, will help us better understand “why lung cancer happens to young people and potential inheritable and environmental risk factors.”
Learning about what is driving the disease on a genomic level, will also “give us clues to how we should be treating patients differently,” said Dr. Barbara Gitlitz, Director of the Lung, Head and Neck Program at USC’s Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and the other co-principal investigator of the study.
As part of the study, participants’ tumor samples will also be sequenced byFoundation Medicine for abnormalities in more than 300 cancer-related genes.
“All patients may not test positive for a mutation but we suspect many will have mutations that could be targeted by drugs that are already available or in clinical testing,” said Addario.
In an effort to “help patients in real-time,” Addario noted, any mutations found will be reported immediately back to the participant’s oncologist. ALCMI’s Scientific Leadership Board will also provide guidance on suggested treatments and clinical trials for each patient based on results from the Foundation Medicine’s screens.
Taylor and Nunez both say they will be first in line to enroll in the study. They say they are eager to learn more about their cancer.
“The truth is that anyone with lungs is at risk,” Taylor says. “I’d love to know why. Why me?”
Article Appeared @http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/12/why-do-healthy-non-smokers-get-lung-cancer/281718/