Liverpool Lung Project: Risk Factors and Genetic Markers in Healthy Participants and Patients With Lung Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Prospective cohort:

  * All residents (n=326,000), aged 45-79, within the designated Liverpool postcode study area will be eligible for entry into the study

    * 7,500 people will be randomly selected from this population via general practitioner's (GP's) lists held by each Primary Care Trust
    * All the GP's who have practices within the study area will be asked to collaborate with the project
* Case-control:

  * Patients: Newly diagnosed cases of primary lung cancer

    * All cases of epithelial tumors of the trachea, bronchus, and lung will be included
  * Two controls per case who are matched for age (+/- 2 years) and gender and will be randomly selected from the Liverpool Lung Project prospective cohort

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* Inclusion Criteria:

  * Prospective cohort:

    * Age 45-79
    * Living within the Liverpool electoral wards
  * Case-control:

    * Upper age limit of 80 years old
    * Resident within Liverpool Lung Project area
* Exclusion Criteria:

  * Both cohorts:

    * Unable to provide competent informed consent
    * Ineligible to approach based on consultant/clinical team advice
    * Infectious respiratory disease (i.e., chest infection and are on antibiotics) within the past 3 months
    * Untreated pulmonary tuberculosis within the past 3 months

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* Participant and/or patient must not have had any of the following treatments within the last 3 months and is not planning to undergo any of them:

  * Cardiac surgery
  * Thoracic surgery
  * Carotid artery surgery
  * Abdominal surgery
  * Chemotherapy
  * Deep x-ray therapy