Abstract IA15: Lung cancer genomics

Abstract

Abstract Lung cancer remains the most common cause of cancer related deaths in the United States. The primary reason for the high mortality rate is the advanced stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis. Racial disparities in incidence and mortality have been observed in the United States, with higher rate among African-Americans, particularly males. In recent years genetic alterations that bestow a proliferative and survival advantage, so called ‘driver' genetic alterations, have been identified in a subset of cancers including Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). Molecular changes resulting from these genetic alterations can be targeted for therapeutic benefit and such targeted therapy has become standard of care for the management of NSCLC patients. These data have generated an interested in assessing and understanding lung cancer genomics. Several studies have been conducted and results of these studies have allowed the characterization of lung cancer into genomically distinct categories that may have implications for tumor biology and possibly for cancer therapeutics. Racial and ethnic variations in the incidence of specific ‘driver' genetic alterations have been observed. Thus the incidence of EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) mutation positive NSCLC is higher in Asian population compared to North American population. Such differences have not been observed for ALK (anaplastic lymphoma kinase) gene rearrangement positive NSCLC. These observations have generated an interest in evaluating lung cancer genomics to explain the observed racial differences in both incidence and mortality. Ongoing efforts will attempt to define racial and ethnic differences, if any in lung cancer genomics and the implications of the same. Citation Format: Shirish M. Gadgeel. Lung cancer genomics. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Ninth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2016 Sep 25-28; Fort Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017;26(2 Suppl):Abstract nr IA15.