BioProject

Scientific evidence indicates that genetic factors may contribute to differences in lung cancer risk for individuals with similar levels of tobacco exposure, which is the main environmental risk factor of lung cancer. More...

Scientific evidence indicates that genetic factors may contribute to differences in lung cancer risk for individuals with similar levels of tobacco exposure, which is the main environmental risk factor of lung cancer. Moreover, lung cancer patients show large differences in clinical staging and survival; these differences seem to be attributable, at least partially, to the genetic background. The analysis of the molecular properties (e.g., germline variations and genome-wide expression levels) of non-involved tissue from lung cancer patients may contribute in the identification of genetic factors involved in the development and progression of this pathology. To this aim, we analyzed two series (discovery series, n = 204, and validation series, n = 78) of non-tumor lung tissue samples from smokers that underwent surgical lobectomy for adenocarcinoma in Milan, Italy. First, we examined the whole transcriptome of these two series to define the candidate genes and pathways associated with either lung cancer risk or prognosis in this cohort. Moreover, as sex and age are known to strongly influence the pathophysiology of human lungs, we used transcriptome data from the same samples to identify sex- and age-related transcriptional differences in lung. Overall design: Samples of non-involved (apparently normal) lung parenchyma excised from patients who underwent lobectomy for lung adenocarcinoma in the area around Milan, Italy. The samples were analyzed in two sets: a discovery series (n = 204) and a validation series (n = 78). Less...