Lung Cancer

Challenges

With more than 3000 cases diagnosed annually in Sweden and an overall 5-year survival rate of less than 15%, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death. Although cigarette smoking is the major etiological factor, the number of never-smokers diagnosed with lung cancer has increased continuously in recent years, especially among younger individuals. More than 20% of women and about 10% of men who develop lung cancer have never smoked.

The diagnosis is often late and only about 25% of the tumours are accessible for surgery, which is a prerequisite for long-term survival. Improved tools for early diagnosis are therefore of great importance.

Current projects

Lung tumorigenesis is a result of multiple genetic alterations and the tumors show a high frequency of acquired mutations, copy number alterations, and/or gene expression changes involving a large number of genes. Our research aims to improve the diagnostics, prognostics and therapeutics by a combined clinical and molecular approach. In close collaboration with thoracic surgeons and pathologists, we collect tumor biopsies, normal lung tissue and blood samples from all patients undergoing primary lung cancer surgery in the southern Swedish health care region. In order to identify critical events for tumor initiation and progression, we apply microarray based genomic profiling on clinical specimens of lung cancer with correlations to histology, prognosis and smoking status.

We also analyze tumour acquired aberrant promoter hypermethylation in various genes that are frequently altered in lung tumours. Subsequently, in order to identify useful serum or plasma markers for earlier diagnosis, preoperative blood samples from patients undergoing lung cancer surgery will be screened for promoter methylation in these same genes.

Group members

Maria Planck -  MD, PhD, principal investigator
Mats Jönsson - PhD, Res. engineer
Sofi Isaksson - MD, PhD student
Annette Salomonsson - MD, PhD student

Collaborators

Surgery

Per Jönsson - MD, PhD

Pathology

Leif Johansson - MD, PhD
Karin Jirström - MD, Prof

Bioinformatics/Genomics

Johan Staaf - PhD
Göran Jönsson - PhD
Markus Ringnér - Phd
Åke Borg - Prof

Statistics

Pär-Ola Bendahl - PhD

Tumor epidemiology

Håkan Olsson - MD, Prof

Patient´s Perspectives

Christina Carlsson - RNT, PhD