ELSEVIER Lung Cancer 13 (1995) 323-356

Abstracts

LUNG CANCER

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Prevention

The role of dietary factors in lung cancer Fortes C, Forastiere F, Mallone S, Anatra F, Trequattrini T, Schmid G. Osservatorio Epidemiologico, Regione Lazio. Roma. Lotta Contro Tuberc MaJ Polm Sot 1994;64:309-14.

The present paper reviews the potential protective role of dietary compounds on lung cancer. The first part of this review outlines that cancer may originate from DNA damage produced by free radicals and indicates various natural antioxidants (carotenoids, flavonoids etc.) present in food which could potentially help the body’s mechanism against free radicals damage. The second part illustrates recent epidemiologic studies on dietary factors and lung cancer. The most evident findings are the protective effect for lung cancer from dietary intake of vegetables and fruits and excess risk of lung cancer for those consuming a diet rich in saturated fat and cholesterol. The third part of this review discuss the findings of these epidemiological studies and proposes a new study hypothesis: the potential protective effect of olive oil and aromatic herbs for lung cancer.

Codeletion of p15 and p16 genes in primary non-small cell lung carcinoma Xiao S, Li D, Corson JM, Vijg J, Fletcher JA. Department ofPathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 75 Francis St., Boston. Ml4 02115. Cancer Res 1995;55:2968-71)

Chromosome band 9~2 1 is deleted frequently in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), and the pl5 and p16 cyclindependent kinase-4 inhibitor genes map within this deletion region. Recent studies demonstrated deletion of ~15 and pl6 in NSCLC metastases and cell lines, suggesting a rifle for these genes in NSCLC progression. We now report ~15 and p16 copy number, as determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization with a Pl contig, in 18 primary NSCLCs. &deletion of ~15 and p16 was found in 15 of 18 NSCLCs, and 1 of the 3 tumors with normal ~15 and pl6 copy number had a nonsense mutation in exon 2 nf ~16. We conclude that pl5 and p16 are deleted and/or mutated in most primary NSCLCs. Two observations, however, support the involvement of at least one additional tumor suppressor gene on chromosome 9. These observations are: (a) the large size (>lOO kb) of most NSCLC pl5/pl6 deletions; and @) the absence of exon 2 mutations in most retained NSCLC ~15 and pl6 alleles.

Retinoid chemoprevention of aerodigestive cancer: From basic research to the clinic Hong WK. Lippman SM, Hittelman WN, Lotan R. Dept. Thoracicl Head/Neck Med. Oncol., University Texas? MD. Anderson Cancer Centes IS15 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030. Clin Cant Res 1995;1:677-86.

Epithelial cancers in the lung and head and neck are a devastating group of diseases which account for approximately 35% of cancer deaths in the United States, Chemoprevention is a new strategy to block or reverse the carcinogenic process. Biological concepts including field carcinogenesis and multistep carcinogenesis strongly support the rationale for using chemopreventive approaches. Our group has focused on applications of translational retinoid studies to increase our knowledge of the molecular events in biology and chemoprevention. In this review, we will focus on four issues, biology, retinoids. retinoid clinical trials, and translational research, in the chemoprevention of aerodigestive cancers.

Lung cancer and tobacco smoking Boyle P, Maisonneuve P. Div. of Epidemiology/Biostatsfics, European Institute of Oncology, Ma Ripamonfi 435, 20141 Milan. Lung Cancer (Ireland) 1995; 12:167-81.

The dominant role of tobacco smoking in the causation of lung can- cer has been repeatedly demonstrated over the past 50 years. Current lung cancer rates reflect cigarette smoking habits of men and women in the past decades, but not necessarily current smoking patterns, since there is an interval of several decades between the change in smoking habits in a population and its consequences on lung cancer rates. Over 90% of lung cancer may be avoidable simply through avoidance of ciga- rette smoking. There is at present a huge premature loss of life world- wide caused by smoking. Rates of lung cancer present in central and eastern Europe at the present time are higher than those ever before recorded elsewhere; lung cancer has increased IO-fold in men and eight- fold in women in Japan since 1950. There is a world-wide epidemic of smoking among young women which will be translated into increasing rates of tobacco-related disease, including cancer, in the coming dec- ades. There is another epidemic of lung cancer and tobacco-related deaths building up in China as the cohorts of men in whom tobacco smoking became popular reach ages where cancer is an important haz- ard. Many solutions have been attempted to reduce cigarette smoking and increasingly many countries are enacting legislation to curb this habit. Cigarette smoking remains the number one target for Public Health action aimed at reducing cancer risk in the general population. General practitioners. hospital physicians and everyone working in oncology have a particularly important exemplary role to play in this process.