We comprehensively characterized the gene expression alterations occurring during squamous lung cancer development. Fresh frozen human bronchial biopsies (N=122) at successive morphological stages of lung squamous carcinogenesis were obtained by fluorescence bronchoscopy and analyzed using gene expression microarrays.
Overall design
A total of 122 biopsies from 77 individuals, 35 former and 42 current smokers, were included. The 122 biopsies were distributed according to histology and fluorescence status as follows: 13 biopsies with normal histology and normofluorescent (8/5 biopsies from former/current smokers), 14 with normal histology and hypofluorescent (8/6), 15 hyperplasia (7/8), 15 metaplasia (5/10), 13 mild dysplasia (8/5), 13 moderate dysplasia (7/6), 12 severe dysplasia (2/10), 13 carcinoma in situ (5/8) and 14 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC, 5/9). In addition, normal bronchial biopsies from 16 never-smokers were collected and pooled for use as reference RNA.
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