Genomics of Young Lung Cancer - GO2 for Lung Cancer

GO2 for Lung Cancer and the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI) collaborated on a groundbreaking study, Genomics of Young Lung Cancer (GoYLC), between 2014 – 2017 that identified a unique population of patients diagnosed with lung cancer at age 40 or under. GoYLC enrolled 133 patients who completed a short online survey and provided blood and tumor tissue, with recruitment conducted both at participating sites and via the internet.

Importantly, lung cancer in these patients looks different than what we see in the general population. Specifically, 84% of GoYLC participants had a targetable driver mutation, with 76% of patients having alterations in ALK, EGFR or ROS1. This percentage is much higher than what was previously reported by the Lung Cancer Mutation Consortium.

Unfortunately, nearly 79% of GoYLC participants had Stage IV disease at diagnosis because they were perceived to be young and otherwise healthy. These findings point to the urgency of proper follow-up for all patients presenting with symptoms consistent with lung cancer regardless of age and to the importance of comprehensive biomarker testing to ensure that all patients get put on the best targeted treatment for their disease as soon as possible.

Having identified a unique form of lung cancer in young adults, the next question is, “Why do they develop lung cancer in the first place?” As a follow-up to the GoYLC study, GO2 for Lung Cancer and ALCMI are launching/have launched the companion Epidemiology of Young Lung Cancer (EoYLC) study that will pair a comprehensive survey asking questions about environmental, behavioral and genetic risk factors with blood collection for future related research questions. We hope that EoYLC will begin to provide answers that can lead to improved prevention, detection and treatment of disease in this young patient population.