Shared Genetics of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Lung Cancer

Although COPD strongly predisposes to lung cancer, and both share tobacco smoke exposure as an etiologic risk factor, few studies have examined whether genetic constitution can also explain the overlap between these diseases. Among ever smokers in the Genetic Epidemiology Research in Adult Health and Aging cohort, we propose the following specific aims: 1) To identify genetic characteristics associated with risk of developing COPD; 2) To determine the extent to which telomere length is associated with risk of developing lung cancer in the presence and absence of COPD; and 3) To determine the extent to which newly identified COPD-related genetic variants are associated with risk of developing lung cancer in the presence and absence of COPD.

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