Molecular Predictors of Cancer in Patients at High Risk of Lung Cancer

OBJECTIVES: * To use fixed lung tissue for histological evaluation and fresh tissue samples for molecular studies to study DNA, RNA, and protein abnormalities in lung preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions. * To use proteomic techniques, including matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), to develop a method of diagnosing and staging both pre-invasive and invasive lesions, using less invasive methods. OUTLINE: Blood, urine, nasal cell, and sputum samples are collected. Lung tissue samples are also collected using fluorescence bronchoscopy and epithelial cell collection. Samples are studied by genetic and proteomic analyses, including comparative genomic hybridization, expression microarray, and protein profiling.