Methylation in lung cancer [ 2002 - 2004 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Prof Kwun Fong (Principal investigator) ,  A/Pr Paul Zimmerman

Brief description Lung cancer is the most frequent cause of cancer deaths in many Western countries, including ours. Lung cancer is the third leading cause of death of Australians and the fifth leading cause of burden of disease in Australia. With exposure to cancer-causing agents such as cigarette smoke, parts of the lung may suffer permanent damage that increases the risk of lung cancer. Many of these changes include the genes in air passages and lung tissue. A certain change (called methylation) affects some genes in the lungs, but it is not yet known how common this change is or how it affects smokers and people who have developed lung cancer. We will collect blood and sputum specimens from lung cancer patients to test to see if methylation is present, and also specimens from when patients have a routine bronchoscopy as part of their initial tests. If they have an operation for lung cancer, then the part of the lung that is removed and not needed for diagnosis will also be tested for methylation. In this study, we will study whether methylation is an accurate test for lung cancer, whether it is present in parts of the lung near from the lung cancer, and whether it predicts better or worse results after treatment. We hope that this research study will provide new information about the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer.

Funding Amount $AUD 316,650.00

Funding Scheme NHMRC Project Grants

Notes Standard Project Grant