Improving diagnostics and outcomes in never-smoking lung cancer
Research type
Research Database
IRAS ID
326993
Contact name
Alexandros Georgiou
Contact email
Research summary
NSLC (Never-smoking lung cancer) database
REC name
London - South East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/LO/0553
Date of REC Opinion
14 Jul 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion
Data collection arrangements
We want to initiate a research programme for lung cancer patients without a known smoking history.
Although lung cancer has been heavily associated with smoking, around 10-15% of all lung cancer patients are never-smokers. Never-smoking lung cancer has distinct clinical features and biology. Patients tend to be younger, with a higher female proportion. We need to further investigate this population to better understand what is causing lung cancer in these patients, and what we should do to improve patient care and treatment outcomes.
We are developing a database for patients who have been diagnosed with lung cancer and were never-smokers. This database will include their demographic characteristics, risk factors for lung cancer, tumour characteristics, and real-world outcomes of lung cancer treatments.
We will also investigate the association of air pollution with never-smoking lung cancer and whether there are locations in London which pose a higher risk for never-smoking lung cancer because of higher air pollution levels.
Furthermore, we will also investigate whether never-smokers, who were diagnosed with lung cancer and received anticancer treatment, had better outcomes if they lived in areas with cleaner air, something that has been recently described as climate justice and air pollution fairness.
Research programme
The direct beneficiaries of this research programme is the population of South East London within the catchment area of Guy’s Cancer Centre, where the study will initially take place. We aim to highlight health disparities in the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of never-smoking lung cancer in the community of South East London. Our research programme has strong support from patient and public advocacy groups, including Ruth Strauss Foundation, EveryBreath Lung Cancer Support Group, Guy's Cancer Charity, and Impact on Urban Health. We will continue to collaborate closely with these foundations and groups to deliver and disseminate our study outcomes, with an aim to raise awareness for never-smoking lung cancer. Moreover, one of the long-term objectives of our research is to steer public health and air pollution policies to improve air quality and to implement a more inclusive early lung cancer diagnosis programme, for example, by inviting people that live in high air pollution areas to the Low-Dose Computer Tomography lung cancer screening programme, regardless of their smoking history.
Research database title
NSLC (Never-smoking lung cancer) database
Establishment organisation
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Establishment organisation address
Great Maze Pond
London
SE1 9RT