Active clinical trials for "Lung Neoplasms"

The standard operative approach to pulmonary lesions has been via postero-lateral thoracotomy and direct vision. This technique has some advantages but its morbidity is significant. Some surgeons advocate a resection by video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) to reduce the impact on chest wall and the impairment on respiratory mechanic. However, an evidence for superiority of the approach minimally invasive is lacking, particularly for the difficult assessment of the change in pulmonary function. The aim of this study is to compare VATS- over open lobectomy regarding the differences of chest wall kinematic, analyzed by optoelectronic plethysmography (OEP).

The purpose of this study is: To establish a set of diagnostic criteria of intraoperative frozen section of early stage lung adenocarcinoma, including clinicopathologic and molecular characteristics. To assess its clinical usefulness in guiding surgical procedure for early stage lung adenocarcinoma.

The goal of this study is to learn about the quality of life (QOL) in participants with advanced lung cancer.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of mortality from malignant diseases in both men and women worldwide. Accurate diagnosis, staging and therapeutic targeting of lung cancer and other pulmonary pathology are vital with regards to providing patients with expedient and accurate treatment and treatment plans. The pre-operative evaluation and consultation in patients who are to undergo operative staging or resection for lung cancer is multidimensional and involves detailed history taking, physical examination and review of imaging studies. Two important elements of both staging and pre-operative evaluation include the evaluation of: (1) the pleural space for malignant pleural effusion and (2) the diaphragm for appropriate movement. At this point in time, the pleural space evaluation is being performed using CT scan which does not allow the acquisition of real-time cytological material from pleural effusions due to the fact that the CT scans are done in a diagnostic setting. Diaphragmatic movement/excursion is not currently being assessed pre-operatively and its impact on staging and post-operative pulmonary function is unknown. Malignant pleural effusion is recognized as a poor prognosticator in non-small cell lung cancer patients and has recently been upgraded from a T4 to an M1a status in the new edition of the AJCC NSCLC Staging System (7th Edition). The appreciation of the poor prognosis related to malignant effusion has upgraded the stage from a Stage IIIb to a stage IV. Recognizing the stage early allows for more precise prognostication of disease and can lead to precision and streamlining of treatment plans for thoracic surgeons and oncologists.

To demonstrate and validate a breath test for detection of early stage lung cancer that could potentially reduce number of deaths.

This study will learn more about the beliefs of family members of African American patients with lung cancer and whether these beliefs are associated with their interest in genetic testing for disease risk and willingness to participate in genetics research. Lung cancer is the second most common form of cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths for men and women in the United States. Like most cancers, there are racial and ethnic disparities (gaps) in lung cancer cases and deaths. The age-adjusted rates for blacks and whites (years 2000 to 2003) was 76.9 per 100,000 and 66.0 per 100,000, respectively. Mortality rates were 62.5 per 100,000 for blacks and 55.3 per 100,000 for whites. Cigarette smoking is the most preventable cause of lung cancer. Findings are that African Americans begin smoking at older ages and smoke fewer cigarettes per day than Caucasian Americans do. Yet the severity of lung cancer is greater for African Americans. Behavioral, social, environmental, and genetic factors may explain the differences. Participants (subjects) ages 18 to 55 who are family of patients with lung cancer who self-identify as African Americans may be eligible for this study. Washington, D.C., researchers plan to recruit 115 lung cancer patients and 200 family members-100 current smokers and 100 who never smoked. Lung cancer patients, who must have been born in the United States, will be recruited from those who are receiving care at the Washington Cancer Institute at the Washington Hospital Center. They will be asked to list relatives and friends they consider to be as close as family. Patients will be asked permission for researchers to contact those people. Family members will receive a letter telling them that unless they decline to participate, they will be contacted by a telephone interviewer. The survey will feature questions to evaluate family members' explanations for the causes of lung cancer, as well as their reactions to possible reasons for the disparity in lung cancer between African Americans and Caucasian Americans. Subjects will be asked about perceived personal risk, worry about developing lung cancer, smoking history, motivation to quit smoking, feelings about the lung cancer patient's diagnosis, racial identify, experience with racial discrimination, pros and cons of genetic testing, and interest in genetic testing. The survey will take up to 20 minutes to complete. This study may or may not have a direct benefit for those who participate. However, lung cancer patients and their families will be offered a free self-help guide to stop smoking. They will be referred to local smoking cessation programs. Knowledge gained from the study may be used to design smoking cessation methods and research studies related to genetics for minority populations.

The purpose of this study is to try to learn more about how small molecule kinase inhibitors work in treating lung cancer. Some early studies have shown that gefitinib, erlotinib and similar drugs are more likely to work if a particular DNA change (also known as a mutation) is found in a protein that is important in lung cancer. This protein is called the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Since small molecule kinase inhibitors sometimes stop working, we would like to examine your tumor to learn why these medicines are not working as well. Your tumor will be examined for a variety of things including changes in the DNA of the EGFR. We will also sequence parts of the genes for HER2, HER3, HER4, and KRAS, other proteins thought to be important in lung cancer.

The purpose of this study is to compare the results of two CT scans of the chest performed within minutes of each other. We will compare several different measurements of lung cancer tumors. This study will help show whether we can get accurate results when we compare measurements on different CT scans. This information is important for patients with cancer, who often have more than one CT scan during their treatment.

Primary Objective: To estimate the accuracy of the pre-operative VRI QRF (Quantitative Regional Function) results versus the gold standard QRRVP (Quantitative Radionuclide Study of Regional Lung Ventilation and Perfusion) pre-operative scan. Secondary Objective: To assess the correlation of the predicted post-operative lung function with the observed post-operative lung function (FEV1 and DLCO) in patients who underwent surgical resection. (FEV1 = Forced expiratory volume in 1-second. DLCO = Diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide. ppo = predicted postoperative.)

To study changes in tumor and normal organ size and/or position which occur during a course of radiation treatments.