Lung Cancer Case Registry and Tissue Resource

Lung Cancer Case Registry and Tissue Resource

Potential participants in the Lung Cancer Case Registry will be all patients diagnosed or evaluated for possible treatment of lung cancer at the Cancer Research and Treatment Center (CRTC) and New Mexico Veterans Health Care System (NMVHCS).

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the US in both men and women. This research study will enroll lung cancer patients into a registry to study changes in DNA (or genetic material) that may be associated with development of lung cancer or other lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We will also study the role of eating habits on lung cancer diagnosis and treatment, as well as the effects of the disease and treatment on quality of patient's lives.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Potential participants in the Lung Cancer Case Registry will be all patients diagnosed or evaluated for possible treatment of lung cancer at the CRTC and NMVHCS. Recruiting will primarily be performed through the Multidisciplinary Chest Clinics held weekly at each hospital. These clinics are staffed by the Principal Investigator (PI) and Reza Mehran, MD, a thoracic surgeon at both hospitals and a co-investigator on this submission. Approximately 90% of all lung cancer cases diagnosed at the NMVHCS, and a somewhat smaller proportion of cases treated in the Cancer Center, are seen in these clinics. Additional cases will be identified through review of new patient visits to each hospital with a diagnosis of lung cancer; Drs. Crowell and Mehran also maintain weekly contact with pathology and oncology services at both facilities, which will facilitate case identification at NMVHCS and University Hospital. Finally, patient contact records will be correlated with tumor registry records at both hospitals, which will identify any cases not captured through the above mechanisms. Although these cases may be identified several weeks after initial diagnosis, all attempts will still be made to contact the patient and family for enrollment into the registry. Most Spanish-speaking patients served by the CRTC and the NMVHCS are bilingual, and a language barrier has not been a problem in other similar studies conducted by the PI. However, Spanish-speaking personnel are available to obtain consent and answer any questions if necessary.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients will be excluded if they cannot provide written informed consent.