Lung Cancer Case Registry and Tissue Resource

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the US in both men and women. This
research study will enroll lung cancer patients into a registry to study changes in DNA (or
genetic material) that may be associated with development of lung cancer or other lung
diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We will also study the role
of eating habits on lung cancer diagnosis and treatment, as well as the effects of the
disease and treatment on quality of patient's lives.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Potential participants in the Lung Cancer Case Registry will be all patients
diagnosed or evaluated for possible treatment of lung cancer at the CRTC and NMVHCS.
Recruiting will primarily be performed through the Multidisciplinary Chest Clinics
held weekly at each hospital. These clinics are staffed by the Principal Investigator
(PI) and Reza Mehran, MD, a thoracic surgeon at both hospitals and a co-investigator
on this submission. Approximately 90% of all lung cancer cases diagnosed at the
NMVHCS, and a somewhat smaller proportion of cases treated in the Cancer Center, are
seen in these clinics. Additional cases will be identified through review of new
patient visits to each hospital with a diagnosis of lung cancer; Drs. Crowell and
Mehran also maintain weekly contact with pathology and oncology services at both
facilities, which will facilitate case identification at NMVHCS and University
Hospital. Finally, patient contact records will be correlated with tumor registry
records at both hospitals, which will identify any cases not captured through the
above mechanisms. Although these cases may be identified several weeks after initial
diagnosis, all attempts will still be made to contact the patient and family for
enrollment into the registry. Most Spanish-speaking patients served by the CRTC and
the NMVHCS are bilingual, and a language barrier has not been a problem in other
similar studies conducted by the PI. However, Spanish-speaking personnel are
available to obtain consent and answer any questions if necessary.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Patients will be excluded if they cannot provide written informed consent.