No two tumors are alike, but analyzing the genetics of cancers from different parts of the body may reveal surprising details useful for treatment and prevention.

That process is already gaining traction at the University of Chicago’s Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology (IGSB), where researchers are one year into a three-year project to collect and analyze the genetic sequence and variations of every gene expressed by 1,000 tumors.

Smokers may develop a mutation for every 15 cigarettes smoked, according to new analysis of the genome of a tumor from a lung cancer patient. By comparing the patient’s normal genome sequence to the sequence of the tumor, scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, in London, found that the tumor cells had acquired more than 23,000 mutations, according to research published in Nature on Thursday.

Many newspapers have reported that scientists have “cracked the code” of cancer with the analysis ofthe entire genetic sequence of malignant melanoma skin cancer and an aggressive form of lung cancer.

In the past, researchers were only able to look at smaller sections of DNA, as sequencing the entire DNA of a cell would have taken a very long time. Recent advances in technology have allowed the analysis of the entire sequence of DNA within a cell much more quickly.

Lung cancer, the nation’s leading cause of cancer deaths for women and men, remains the most under-funded, under-researched and under-supported cancer. There are currently no approved early detection tests for lung cancer. With a 5-year survival rate of only 15%, the prognosis for lung cancer has not changed in 40 years. A new organization, Lung Cancer Foundation of America (LCFA) is trying to change this reality, and save lives by dramatically increasing the five-year survival rate for all stages of lung cancer. LCFA will accomplish this by providing the necessary and critical funding for creative and leading edge lung cancer research programs.

Two common forms of cancer have been genetically mapped for the first time, British scientists said Wednesday, in a major breakthrough in understanding the diseases.

The maps have exposed the DNA mutations that lead to skin and lung cancers, in a discovery scientists said could transform the way these diseases are diagnosed and treated in coming years.

Lung cancer is the deadliest of all cancers in India, accounting for 80,000 of the 5.5 lakh (550,000) cancer deaths in the country. It is the number one cancer among Indian men and number six among women.

The reason why it is so fatal, say experts, is that 85 per cent cases are diagnosed in stages 3 and 4, when a surgical cure is no longer an option.

“Since there are no symptoms in the early stages, people get diagnosed late, if at all,” said Dr Jaydip Biswas, director, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata.

“Unlike in other cancers, where we have effective chemotherapy (drug treatment), drugs for lung cancer don’t act effectively enough,” said Dr Sameer Kaul, surgical oncologist, Indraparastha Apollo Hospitals.

But there is hope.

The event will be held at Silverado in Napa, California on 16 October 2011.You will see iconic Speedsters, legendary 550 Spyders,exotic Italian Abarths, rare F2 “Monopostos”, sleek 718s, the unusual Elva-Porsche “hybrids”, the extraordinary GT-class 904, plus more rarely seen 356s, many powered by Porsches famous “4-cam” Carerra race engine. There will, of course, be other special events for participants. Cars will be included by Invitation Only.

Should you wish to purchase a ticket now in order to receive a 2009 tax detuction*, please send a check payable to SILVERADO PORSCHE CLASSIC FOR LUNG CANCER RESEARCH to Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, 1100 Industrial Road, Suite 1, San Carlos, CA 94070. Initial single ticket price is $400.

An Australian nun who died 100 years ago looks set to become the nation’s first saint, after the Pope recognised a miracle in which she apparently cured a woman of cancer, officials said Sunday.

The miracle, in which a woman who prayed to nun Mary MacKillop was said to have been healed of inoperable lung cancer in the 1990s, opens the way for the Vatican to canonise a woman already revered in Australia as a national icon.

“Today is a special day not only for the Sisters but also for Australia and the universal Church,” said Anne Derwin, a nun with the Sisters of St Joseph order founded by MacKillop.

Patients with the most common form of lung cancer (non-small-cell lung cancer) who have mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene have significantly improved progression-free survival if they are treated with gefitinib compared with standard chemotherapy. Wherever possible, EGFR genetic testing must be done and gefitinib should be considered as the first-line treatment for patients with EGRF mutations, concludes an Article published Online First in The Lancet Oncology.

Radon may not be something that is thought of in the day-to-day maintenance of a home. In fact, it may not be detected until a home is put on the market for sale, and a standard radon test is carried out. When radon levels get too high within a home, they can radically increase the risk of the home’s occupants developing lung cancer. Help prevent this from happening by installing a radon detector, and if needed radon mitigation systems as well.