Gene changes recorded for most common lung cancer type

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

Adenocarcinoma is the most common form of lung cancer in the United States, as well as many other countries. In a July 2014 study, investigators identified gene mutations (misspellings) and additional alterations associated with adenocarcinoma. The research team was affiliated with the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Research Network. 

Study researchers examined 230 tumor samples from patients with lung cancer, comparing them to samples from healthy individuals. In approximately 62 percent of the samples reviewed, the researchers found know gene mutations (misspellings) in oncogenes. The investigators also reviewed DNA copy number changes and detected two oncogenes, ERBB2 and MET, that expressed amplification. These oncogenes are both part of the RTK/RAS/RAF signaling pathway, and mutations can cause the pathway to become stuck in "on" state, triggering tumor growth. Other genes that are part of the RTK/RAS/RAF pathway were also identified, including NF1 and RIT1. Some 76 percent of the tumor samples reviewed had mutations that adversely affect the RTK/RAS/RAF pathway and additional metabolic pathways were activated in tumor samples as well.

Identification of these lung cancer gene mutations and alterations will aid efforts in future targeted therapy. This research was published online on Nature.