Collection and Storage of Blood and Tissue Samples From Patients Who Are Undergoing Surgery For Lung Cancer

• Collection and storage of frozen specimens of tumor, involved lymph node (when available), and grossly uninvolved adjacent lung tissues obtained from patients during surgical staging or resection of lung cancer [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Collection and storage of frozen blood samples from these patients as a source of reference DNA to assess somatic mutations associated with tumor or preneoplastic "normal" lung and to assess levels of circulating markers [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Correlation of these analyses with historical, clinical, pathological, and outcome information [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

RATIONALE: Collecting and storing samples of tissue and blood from patients with cancer to study in the laboratory may help doctors learn more about changes that may occur in DNA and identify biomarkers related to cancer.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to collect and store tissue and blood samples from patients with lung cancer to be tested in the laboratory.

OBJECTIVES:

• Collect and store frozen specimens of tumor, involved lymph node (when available), and grossly uninvolved adjacent lung tissues obtained from patients during surgical staging or resection of lung cancer, for later molecular analysis.
• Collect and store frozen blood samples from these patients, as a source of reference DNA to assess somatic mutations associated with tumor or preneoplastic "normal" lung and to assess levels of circulating markers.
• Correlate these analyses with historical, clinical, pathological, and outcome information.

OUTLINE: Grossly viable tumor and grossly normal lung tissue are identified and removed from patient surgical specimens and cryopreserved until shipment to the CALGB Lung Cancer Tissue Bank for future use in research. Blood specimens are obtained pre- or intra-operatively and shipped immediately to the Tissue Bank.

Patients do not receive the results of the research.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: Samples from approximately 100 patients per year will be collected for at least 5 years.

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Suspected or histologically confirmed lung cancer
• Undergoing surgical staging or resection of tumor at a CALGB Lung Cancer Tissue Bank-approved institution
• No concurrent enrollment on clinical study CALG 140203, intraoperative sentinal node mapping in non-small cell lung cancer

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• No known infectious disease (e.g., HIV, tuberculosis, or hepatitis B or C)

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• See Disease Characteristics