Our lung cancer demonstration projects aim to better understand lung cancer in Minnesota Native Americans. The first project investigates lung cancer gene mutations in Native Americans, and a second project studies nicotine metabolism in Native Americans who smoke.
The first project will use existing data (biopsy results) from Minnesota Native Americans with lung cancer to better understand ways in which their cancers may systematically differ from other racial groups. We intend to obtain data from large health systems serving Native Americans in Minnesota. The focus of this project is on the lung cancer genetic mutations, of which several have revolutionized the treatment of this cancer. Specifically, we will be looking for evidence of EGFR mutations compared to a population of European descent. We hope to use this knowledge to affect the future care of Native Americans diagnosed with and treated for lung cancer.
The second project seeks to better understand what might account for the high rate of smoking and lung cancer deaths among Native Americans in Minnesota. Studies among Alaskan Native Yupik smokers have shown this group to have faster nicotine metabolism and a higher prevalence of having a specific smoking-related gene (CYP2A6 wild type) than Caucasian and African-American populations. This could account for higher nicotine addiction, despite many Yupik smokers reporting smoking less cigarettes per day. Whether Native Americans in Minnesota have a similar prevalence of this genetic marker, and nicotine metabolism, has not been established.
We aim to collect self-reported information on medical and smoking history, and biosamples including urine and buccal cells. With this information, we aim to compare American Indians in Minnesota to Caucasians on tobacco-related toxins in urine and genetic markers for tobacco addiction. Ultimately, this information will guide our efforts towards developing targeted smoking cessation interventions tailored to this population (e.g., high-dose medicinal nicotine).