Biomarkers in Patients With Respiratory Tract Dysplasia or Lung Cancer, Head and Neck Cancer, or Aerodigestive Tract Cancer and in Normal Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Diagnosis of extensive and severe dysplasia of the respiratory epithelium
• Those without dysplasia of the respiratory epithelium
• Recruited from the SPORE Tissue Procurement Screening Project or by private or academic physicians (for patients with moderate or severe dysplasia)
• Survived 1 or more aerodigestive system carcinoma for ≥ 1 year
• Completely resected stage I non-small cell cancer
• Undergoing any of the following procedures:
• Routine panendoscopy for patients with head and neck cancer
• Resection of a bronchogenic carcinoma
• Bronchoscopy for diagnosis or staging of suspected lung cancer
• Subsequent bronchoscopy for surveillance or monitoring of response to endobronchial treatment in patients with prior high-grade dysplasia or worse
• No asthma
• No lung disease
• No respiratory illness within the past 2 weeks Patients suspected of or at risk for neoplastic lung disease who are undergoing a bronchoscopy in which differential diagnostic considerations may include multiple other etiologies such as infection and other processes.
• Patients without dysplasia will be: patients undergoing clinically indicated bronchoscopy for conditions other than suspected lung cancer.
• PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• No clinically apparent bleeding diathesis
• No known bleeding disorder
• No anginal
• No clinically active coronary artery disease
• No multifocal premature ventricular contractions
• No poorly controlled congestive heart failure
• No myocardial infarction within the past 6 weeks
• No cardiac dysrhythmia that is potentially life threatening
• Well-controlled atrial fibrillation or rare (\< 2/min) premature ventricular contractions allowed
• No ventricular tachycardia or supraventricular tachycardia with a rapid ventricular response
• No other serious medical condition that would preclude a patient from undergoing a bronchoscopy
• No acute bronchitis or pneumonia within the past 8 weeks except when clinically proven as a possible result of lung cancer
• No hypoxemia (i.e., \< 90% saturation with supplemental oxygen) before bronchoscopy
• PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• See Disease Characteristics