@article{247e52ed8da647deaaaebcaab2b8b3e7,
title = "A call to action: Dismantling racial injustices in preclinical research and clinical care of black patients living with small cell lung cancer",
abstract = "Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive disease with dismal survival rates and limited therapeutic options. SCLC development is strongly associated with exposure to tobacco carcinogens. However, additional genetic and environmental risk factors that contribute to SCLC pathogenesis are beginning to emerge. Here, we specifically assess disparities pertaining to SCLC in Black populations. In contrast to non–small cell lung cancer, preliminary data suggest that Black individuals may actually be at a lower risk of developing SCLC relative to white individuals. This difference remains unexplained but urgently needs to be verified in larger data sets, because it could provide important new insights and approaches to understanding this recalcitrant tumor. Impor-tantly, little biological information exists on SCLC in Black individuals, and few patient-derived preclinical SCLC models from diverse ancestries are available in the laboratory. Unfortunately, we note strikingly low numbers of Black participants in clinical trials testing new treatments for SCLC. Evidence further indicates that care for patients with SCLC may vary between communities with a large fraction of Black patients and those without. Together, these observations underscore the need to better investigate genetic, environmental, and socioeco-nomic factors associated with SCLC development, preclinical research, clinical care, and outcomes.",
author = "Thomas, {Portia L.} and Madubata, {Chioma J.} and Aldrich, {Melinda C.} and Lee, {Montessa M.} and Owonikoko, {Taofeek K.} and Minna, {John D.} and Rudin, {Charles M.} and Julien Sage and Lovly, {Christine M.}",
note = "Funding Information: Numerous epidemiological, preclinical, and clinical research studies are cited in this In Focus article. The authors are extremely grateful to all of the patients who generously donated their time and tissue samples to make these studies possible. Through their generous donations, these patients also shared their trust with the cancer research community that ensuing studies would affect their care and the care of others battling SCLC. The authors wish to honor and celebrate these contributions, without which no advances in SCLC would be possible. The authors are also extremely grateful to the investigators who contributed to additional studies in the SCLC field but were not highlighted due to space constraints. The authors thank Luc Girard for preclinical model database analyses and James Mungin Jr. and Samantha Beik for reviewing and editing the manuscript. The authors wish to acknowledge Dr. Adi Gazdar, an internationally renowned expert in SCLC biology, along with Sylvia Stephenson, a lab technician at the NCI-Navy Branch, who codeveloped many of the SCLC cell lines described in the text. Lastly, P.L. Thomas would like to thank the AACR, the Minorities in Cancer Research council, and the NCI Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities for selecting her to be a recipient of the 2020 Minority Scholar in Cancer Research Award. This work was supported by the NIH (grant numbers U54CA217450, U01CA224276, P30CA086485, UG1CA233259, S21MD000104, R35CA231997, U24CA213274, U01CA213338, and P50CA070907) and the Lung Cancer Foundation of America/International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Lori Monroe Scholarship. Funding Information: P.L. Thomas reports grants from NIH during the conduct of the study. J.D. Minna reports grants from NIH and personal fees from NIH and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center during the conduct of the study. C.M. Rudin reports personal fees from AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bicycle, Celgene, Genentech/Roche, Ipsen, Jansen, Jazz, Lilly/Loxo, Pfizer, PharmaMar, Syros, Vavotek, Bridge Medicines, Earli, and Harpoon outside the submitted work. J. Sage reports grants from Stemcentrx/AbbVie outside the submitted work; in addition, J. Sage has a patent for Forty Seven Inc./Gilead licensed. C.M. Lovly reports grants from NIH/NCI, Lung Cancer Foundation of America, and IASLC during the conduct of the study; personal fees from Pfizer, Eli Lilly/Loxo, Novartis, AstraZeneca, Genentech, Roche, Ariad, Takeda, Blueprints Medicine, Cepheid, Foundation Medicine, and Syros outside the submitted work. No disclosures were reported by the other authors.",
year = "2021",
month = feb,
doi = "10.1158/2159-8290.CD-20-1592",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "11",
pages = "240--244",
journal = "Cancer Discovery",
issn = "2159-8274",
publisher = "American Association for Cancer Research Inc.",
number = "2",
}