The molecular genetics of human lung cancer

With the development of molecular biological techniques the search for genetic alterations in cancer cells has resulted in the beginning of a molecular description of cellular transformation. Most of these genetic changes occur in genes which have a role in the control of cellular growth and development, the proto oncogenes. In the last decade, it has become clear that the myc and ras oncogene families are important in the carcinogenesis of human lung cancers. The myc oncogenes are usually found to be altered in small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and these alterations appear to correlate with rapid growth and progression. Mutations in the Kras gene are specific for adenocarcinoma, a subclass of non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Kras gene mutations are closely associated with tobacco smoking, since all were found in adenocarcinomas from patients with a history of smoking. The erbB oncogene, which encodes the epidermal growth factor receptor, is often highly expressed in epidermoid carcinomas. The roles for other oncogenes, such as raf or myb, as well as those of "suppressor" genes remain to be investigated, but may be of paramount importance. The study of alterations in proto oncogenes may aid in the (sub)classification and diagnosis of lung cancer, and may yield useful prognostic information in the near future.