Three genetic loci for lung cancer risk have been identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS), but inherited susceptibility to specific histologic types of lung cancer is not well established. We conducted a GWAS of lung cancer and its major histologic types genotyping 515,922 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 5,739 incident lung cancer cases and 5,848 controls from one population-based case-control study and three cohort studies. Results were combined with summary data from 10 additional studies for a total of 13,300 cases and 19,666 controls of European descent. Four studies also provided histology data for replication resulting in 3,333 adenocarcinomas (AD), 2,589 squamous cell carcinomas (SQ), and 1,418 small cell carcinomas (SC). In analyses by histology, rs2736100 (TERT) on chromosome 5p15.33, was associated with risk of adenocarcinoma (OR=1.23, 95%CI=1.13-1.33, P=3.02x10-7), but not other histologic types (OR=1.01, P=0.84, and OR=1.00, P=0.93, for SQ and SC, respectively). This finding was confirmed in each replication study and overall meta-analysis (OR=1.24, 95%CI=1.17-1.31, P=3.74x10-14 for AD and OR=0.99, P=0.69 and OR=0.97, P=0.48, for SQ and SC, respectively). Other previously reported association signals on 15q25 and 6p21 were also refined, but no additional loci reached genome-wide significance. In conclusion, a lung cancer GWAS identified a distinct hereditary contribution to adenocarcinoma. Note: The lung study dataset to be released to dbGaP and caBIG excludes 47 individuals from the PLCO cohort who consented to participate only in cancer research projects and 22 individuals because of updated QC. Thus, the released dataset is derived from 11517 subjects, 5699 cases and 5818 controls. After the updated QC, the dataset to be released to dbGaP and caBIG includes 506062 SNPs.

DCEG Lung Cancer Study

A genome-wide association study of lung cancer identifies a region of chromosome 5p15 associated with risk for adenocarcinoma.