Project leader:
O.T. Brustugun

Cancer in the respiratory tract affects approximately 3000 Norwegians annually and the prognosis is poor. Despite improvements in prognosis among cancer-patients in general, the prognosis among these patients is pessima, and improvements have been sparse. By increasing the knowledge about the biology involved in the disease, improvements could be made possible.

In short, the project outlined below involves molecular analysis of biological samples from lung and head&neck cancer patients, and correlating this to histopathological features, response to treatment and clinical outcomes.

Our main aims are establishment of prognostic and predictive markers, including markers for radiation therapy response and side effects, and potential targets for new treatment strategies. Furthermore, we want to focus on the obvious differences among men and women, as this is a field of great interest, with little knowledge today as to what this means and how to utilize this clinically. Our institution, with a significant number of these patients, good and established collaboration with all relevant specialist including basal scientists and excellent follow-up possibilities, is optimal for this kind of studies.

Objective / hypothesis
A better understanding of the molecular basis of these tumours` biology is necessary for the identification of potential clinically relevant molecular markers usable for optimal individualized treatment planning.