African American Families and Lung Cancer Study
Completed
Conditions studied: Lung Cancer
In brief
This study will learn more about the beliefs of family members of African American patients with lung cancer and whether these beliefs are associated with their interest in genetic testing for disease risk and willingness to participate in genetics research. Lung cancer is the second most common form of cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths for men and women in the United States. Like most cancers, there are racial and ethnic disparities (gaps) in lung cancer cases and deaths. The age-adjusted rates for blacks and whites (years 2000 to 2003) was 76.9 per 100,000 and 66.0 per 100,000, respectively. Mortality rates were 62.5 per 100,000 for blacks and 55.3 per 100,000 for whites. Cigarette smoking is the most preventable cause of lung cancer. Findings are that African Americans begin smoking at older ages and smoke fewer cigarettes per day than Caucasian Americans do. Yet the severity of lung cancer is greater for African Americans. Behavioral, social, environmental, and genetic factors may explain the differences. Participants (subjects) ages 18 to 55 who are family of patients with lung cancer who self-identify as African Americans may be eligible for this study. Washington, D.C., researchers plan to recruit 115 lung cancer patients and 200 family members-100 current smokers and 100 who never smoked. Lung cancer patients, who must have been born in the United States, will be recruited from those who are receiving care at the Washington Cancer Institute at the Washington Hospital Center. They will be asked to list relatives and friends they consider to be as close as family. Patients will be asked permission for researchers to contact those people. Family members will receive a letter telling them that unless they decline to participate, they will be contacted by a telephone interviewer. The survey will feature questions to evaluate family members' explanations for the causes of lung cancer, as well as their reactions to possible reasons for the disparity in lung cancer between African Americans and Caucasian Americans. Subjects will be asked about perceived personal risk, worry about developing lung cancer, smoking history, motivation to quit smoking, feelings about the lung cancer patient's diagnosis, racial identify, experience with racial discrimination, pros and cons of genetic testing, and interest in genetic testing. The survey will take up to 20 minutes to complete. This study may or may not have a direct benefit for those who participate. However, lung cancer patients and their families will be offered a free self-help guide to stop smoking. They will be referred to local smoking cessation programs. Knowledge gained from the study may be used to design smoking cessation methods and research studies related to genetics for minority populations.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT00487760
- Run by
- National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
- People needed
- 400
- Starts
- 2007-06-11
- Expected to finish
- 2011-08-02
- Last updated by the study team
- 2017-07-02
Who can join
Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may not qualify if…
- Former smokers (i.e., family who have smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime but smoked fewer than 7 cigarettes in the past 7 days) because previous research shows consistently that these individuals hold attitudes and beliefs more similar to those of current smokers than never smokers.
- Patients who describe themselves as AA or Black but were not born in the U.S. will be excluded from participation.
Where it is running
- Washington Hospital Center — Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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