Identification of low penetrance alleles for lung cancer: the GEnetic Lung CAncer Predisposition Study (GELCAPS).
BACKGROUND
Part of the inherited risk to lung cancer is likely to include common, low risk alleles. The identification of this class of susceptibility is contingent on association-based analyses. We established GEnetic Lung CAncer Predisposition Study (GELCAPS) to collect DNA and clinico-pathological data from a large series of cases and a series of spouse/partner controls, thereby generating a key resource for the identification of low risk alleles.


METHODS
GELCAPS was one of the first genetic epidemiological trials in the UK to be adopted by the National Cancer Research Network (NCRN) onto its portfolio with the participation of over 100 oncology departments specialising in the management of lung cancer.


RESULTS
Samples from over 5,000 independent lung cancer cases and 2,000 controls have so far been assembled through GELCAPS.


CONCLUSIONS
GELCAPS represents one of the largest datasets of its type in the world capable of informing on the contribution of low penetrance alleles to the development of lung cancer and the influence of genetic variation on outcome. In addition our experience in developing the GELCAPS serves to illustrate how large DNA biobanks for genetic analyses can be rapidly generated within the UK using the NCRN.
Eisen
Tim
T
Section of Cancer Genetics, Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5NG, UK. tgqe2@cam.ac.uk
Matakidou
Athena
A
Houlston
Richard
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000483:Alleles; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019683:Penetrance; D010641:Phenotype; D018454:Spouses