Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.
This week on "Healthwatch," we're talking about the latest laboratory research that may one day help scientists find cures and treatments for diseases.
While we usually think of lung cancer as a disease affecting smokers, it can also affect people who have never smoked. Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that there's a genetic difference between the kind of cancer that affects smokers and the kind of cancer that affects nonsmokers.
Dr. Adi Gazdar, the UT Southwestern pathologist and senior author of the study, says this research explains why some lung cancer patients respond well to certain targeted treatments when others don't. This knowledge may help doctors choose the right treatment for each patient.
Next: a possible treatment for a deadly disease.
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March 2005
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