We got the major investigators interested in lung cancer from UT Southwestern and M.D. Anderson together and saw the tremendous synergy of ideas, talent and energy. It also presents a unique opportunity for basic and clinical scientists to work together to take advantage more rapidly of new molecular research findings that can be applied to improved patient care. Our major focus will be on very early lung cancer detection and prevention. While everyone's long-term goal is smoking cessation and the prevention of people starting to smoke, we are particularly interested in detecting and preventing the approximately 50,000 cases of lung cancer that occur in former smokers those people who have kicked the habit. An estimated 158,000 deaths will result from lung cancer in 1996.
Cigarette smoking is by far the most important cause of lung cancer.
Treatment is difficult because symptoms often do not appear until the disease is advanced. We have new ideas that need development. This grant will plant the seeds for what may grow into major cancer research projects in the future. Roth is chairman of the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and Professor of Tumor Biology at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He holds the Bud Johnson Clinical Chair.