not "applicable clinical trial"

RATIONALE: Studying samples of tumor tissue from patients with cancer in the laboratory may help doctors learn more about changes that occur in DNA and identify biomarkers related to cancer.

PURPOSE: This research study is looking at molecular markers and genetic markers in patients undergoing radiation therapy for cancer.

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

• Determine local-regional control in patients undergoing radiation therapy for cancer, as a function of expression of specific molecular/genetic markers.

Secondary

• Determine complications of radiation therapy for patients undergoing radiation therapy for cancer.

OUTLINE: Previously collected tissue samples are analyzed using immunohistochemical staining and other molecular/genetic study methods to detect markers, including p53, cyclin D1, HER-2-neu, bcl-2/BAX, and EGFR. Patient charts are also reviewed with emphasis on local-regional relapse.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Diagnosis of cancer
• Undergoing radiation therapy for malignant disease

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Not specified

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics

All patients undergoing radiation therapy for malignant disease will be eligible for these studies. Initially we will focus on specific disease sites, such as breast, prostate and lung, but ultimately we will expand this to include any disease site. Patients who met standard criteria for radiation therapy but ultimately did not receive radiation therapy will be used as a control arm if needed.