Common Gene Disorder Doubles Risk of Lung Cancer - Drug Discovery and Development

Mayo Clinic researchers have found that carrying a common genetic disorder doubles the risk of developing lung cancer in smokers and nonsmokers.

The study is published in the May 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal published by the American Medical Association.

Researchers found that the genetic disorder, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (a1ATD), could explain up to about 12 percent of lung cancer patients in this study and likely represents the same widespread risk in the general population. “This is a seriously underdiagnosed disorder and suggests that people who have lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) in their families should be screened for these gene carriers,” says Ping Yang, MD, PhD, a Mayo Clinic epidemiologist and lead investigator on the study.

The current standard diagnostic test measures protein produced by the gene. Because of the cost and limited availability of the test, it’s not suitable for general screenings. A less expensive DNA-based gene panel test is being developed.

Release date: May 26, 2008
Source: Mayo Clinic