Lung CancerNCT00340405
Development of a Biologic Specimen Bank for the Study of Early Markers of Lung Cancer Among Tin Miners in Yunnan, China
An observational study of Lung Cancer, run by National Cancer Institute (NCI) at 1 site in China.
Trial summary
The overall goal of this project is to identify strategies to reduce lung cancer incidence and mortality. Using a high-risk occupational cohort, our specific objectives are 1) to establish a biologic specimen bank and data bank that can be used for the validation and refinement of potential early markers of lung… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 40 to 100 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Lung Cancer
- How many people
- 9,759 participants
- Where
- 1 siteChina
- Study dates
- 30 Apr 1992to 31 Dec 2025
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 40 to 100 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: The Yunnan Tin Corporation (YTC), located in Yunnan Province in southern China, is a large, nonferrousmetals industry, formed in 1883 and nationalized after the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949. It is involved principally in the production of tin from the mines around the city of Gejiu. The tin miners at YTC have extremely high rates of lung cancer. Among those at high risk, defined as miners 40+ years old with 10+ years of underground mining and/or smelting experience, more than one percent per year develop lung cancer. These extraordinary lung cancer rates result from combined exposure to radon, arsenic, and tobacco smoking in the form of cigarettes and/or bamboo water pipe. The study population for the development of a biologic specimen bank for the study of early markers of lung cancer@@@is all YTC miners considered to be at high risk for lung cancer based on their occupation exposure (40+ years old with 10+ years of underground or smelting experience).
Who may be able to join
- Study participants will be taken from those participating in the annual lung cancer screening examinations conducted by the Labor Protection Institute of the YTC.
- Current or retired workers between the ages of 40 and 74.
- A history of 10 or more years of underground mining and/or smelting experience.
- No proven, active malignancy or serious illness that would interfere with sputum specimen collection.
Who cannot join
None listed.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
China1 site
Cancer Institute of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
Beijing, 100021
About this study
The overall goal of this project is to identify strategies to reduce lung cancer incidence and mortality. Using a high-risk occupational cohort, our specific objectives are 1) to establish a biologic specimen bank and data bank that can be used for the validation and refinement of potential early markers of lung cancer, and 2) to establish a cohort for the study of environmental (including dietary) and genetic risk factors for lung cancer.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from malignant neoplasms in the United States and in many countries around the world. Potential strategies to reduce the incidence and mortality of lung cancer include new methods of early detection and identification and alteration of etiologic factors.
Read more
The Yunnan Tin Corporation (YTC), located in Yunnan Province in southern China, is a large, nonferrous-metals industry, formed in 1883 and nationalized after the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949. It is involved principally in the production of tin from the mines around the city of Gejiu. The tin miners at YTC have extremely high rates of lung cancer. Among those at high risk, defined as miners 40+ years old with 10+ years of underground mining and/or smelting experience, more than one percent per year develop lung cancer. These extraordinary lung cancer rates result from combined exposure to radon, arsenic, and tobacco smoking in the form of cigarettes and/or bamboo water pipe.
The study population for the development of a biologic specimen bank for the study of early markers of lung cancer is all YTC miners considered to be at high risk for lung cancer based on their occupation exposure (40+ years old with 10+ years of underground or smelting experience). Currently numbering over 7,000, this high-risk group has been the target for the annual lung cancer screening program at the YTC for the past 20+ years. For each high-risk miner, sputum samples are collected annually, read for cytologic interpretation, and stored in Saccomanno's solution for future early marker research. Screening chest x-rays are also obtained. Subjects are followed annually to determine if any have developed lung cancer. Diagnostic workup of suspicious cases includes an additional sputum sample and histology specimen(s), which are used for diagnostic purposes and also retained for future research.
Additional biologic specimens have also been obtained on screenees for etiologic research, including a one-time collection of whole blood, urine, and toenail clippings. Finger stick bloods and buccal smears for DNA will also be sought.
Read the detailed description
The overall goal of this project is to identify strategies to reduce lung cancer incidence and mortality. Using a high-risk occupational cohort, our specific objectives are 1) to establish a biologic specimen bank and data bank that can be used for the validation and refinement of potential early markers of lung cancer, and 2) to establish a cohort for the study of environmental (including dietary) and genetic risk factors for lung cancer.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from malignant neoplasms in the United States and in many countries around the world. Potential strategies to reduce the incidence and mortality of lung cancer include new methods of early detection and identification and alteration of etiologic factors.
The Yunnan Tin Corporation (YTC), located in Yunnan Province in southern China, is a large, nonferrous-metals industry, formed in 1883 and nationalized after the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949. It is involved principally in the production of tin from the mines around the city of Gejiu. The tin miners at YTC have extremely high rates of lung cancer. Among those at high risk, defined as miners 40+ years old with 10+ years of underground mining and/or smelting experience, more than one percent per year develop lung cancer. These extraordinary lung cancer rates result from combined exposure to radon, arsenic, and tobacco smoking in the form of cigarettes and/or bamboo water pipe.
The study population for the development of a biologic specimen bank for the study of early markers of lung cancer is all YTC miners considered to be at high risk for lung cancer based on their occupation exposure (40+ years old with 10+ years of underground or smelting experience). Currently numbering over 7,000, this high-risk group has been the target for the annual lung cancer screening program at the YTC for the past 20+ years. For each high-risk miner, sputum samples are collected annually, read for cytologic interpretation, and stored in Saccomanno's solution for future early marker research. Screening chest x-rays are also obtained. Subjects are followed annually to determine if any have developed lung cancer. Diagnostic workup of suspicious cases includes an additional sputum sample and histology specimen(s), which are used for diagnostic purposes and also retained for future research.
Additional biologic specimens have also been obtained on screenees for etiologic research, including a one-time collection of whole blood, urine, and toenail clippings. Finger stick bloods and buccal smears for DNA will also be sought.
- Conditions
- Lung Cancer
- Keywords
- Blood, Lung Cancer, Occupational Exposure, Radon, Arsenic, Natural History
- Medical subject headings
- Lung Neoplasms
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Tin Miners in China at risk of lung cancer | Tin Miners in China at risk of lung cancer |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Identification, validation and refinement of potential early markers of lung cancer
Examining sputum microbiome
Measured: 12/31/2040
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted21 Jun 2006 (estimated)
- Study start30 Apr 1992
- Primary completion25 Nov 2025
- Study completion31 Dec 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (4)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Lung CancerStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by National Cancer Institute (NCI)The sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 9,759 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- National Cancer Institute (NCI)
- Sponsor type
- US National Institutes of Health
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Christian C Abnet, Ph.D., Principal investigator, National Cancer Institute (NCI)
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00340405
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 9999920168
- Other IDs
- OH92-C-0168
- Status last verified
- 23 Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 19 Jun 2006
- Last updated
- 29 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Publications
Qiao YL, Taylor PR, Yao SX, Erozan YS, Luo XC, Barrett MJ, Yan QY, Giffen CA, Huang SQ, Maher MM, Forman MR, Tockman MS. Risk factors and early detection of lung cancer in a cohort of Chinese tin miners. Ann Epidemiol. 1997 Nov;7(8):533-41. doi: 10.1016/s1047-2797(97)00115-4.
PubMed 9408549Qiao YL, Tockman MS, Li L, Erozan YS, Yao SX, Barrett MJ, Zhou WH, Giffen CA, Luo XC, Taylor PR. A case-cohort study of an early biomarker of lung cancer in a screening cohort of Yunnan tin miners in China. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1997 Nov;6(11):893-900.
PubMed 9367062Taylor PR, Qiao YL, Schatzkin A, Yao SX, Lubin J, Mao BL, Rao JY, McAdams M, Xuan XZ, Li JY. Relation of arsenic exposure to lung cancer among tin miners in Yunnan Province, China. Br J Ind Med. 1989 Dec;46(12):881-6. doi: 10.1136/oem.46.12.881.
PubMed 2611163Fan YG, Hu P, Jiang Y, Chang RS, Yao SX, Wang W, He J, Prorok P, Qiao YL. Association between sputum atypia and lung cancer risk in an occupational cohort in Yunnan, China. Chest. 2009 Mar;135(3):778-785. doi: 10.1378/chest.08-1469.
PubMed 19265088
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 29 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Development of a Biologic Specimen Bank for the Study of Early Markers of Lung Cancer Among Tin Miners in Yunnan, China
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT00340405
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 9999920168
- Conditions
- Lung Cancer
- Keywords
- Blood, Lung Cancer, Occupational Exposure, Radon, Arsenic, Natural History
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 9,759 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- National Cancer Institute (NCI)US National Institutes of Health
- Study start
- 30 Apr 1992 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 25 Nov 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 21 Jun 2006 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The overall goal of this project is to identify strategies to reduce lung cancer incidence and mortality. Using a high-risk occupational cohort, our specific objectives are 1) to establish a biologic specimen bank and data bank that can be used for the validation and refinement of potential early markers of lung cancer, and 2) to establish a cohort for the study of environmental (including dietary) and genetic risk factors for lung cancer.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from malignant neoplasms in the United States and in many countries around the world. Potential strategies to reduce the incidence and mortality of lung cancer include new methods of early detection and identification and alteration of etiologic factors.
The Yunnan Tin Corporation (YTC), located in Yunnan Province in southern China, is a large, nonferrous-metals industry, formed in 1883 and nationalized after the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949. It is involved principally in the production of tin from the mines around the city of Gejiu. The tin miners at YTC have extremely high rates of lung cancer. Among those at high risk, defined as miners 40+ years old with 10+ years of underground mining and/or smelting experience, more than one percent per year develop lung cancer. These extraordinary lung cancer rates result from combined exposure to radon, arsenic, and tobacco smoking in the form of cigarettes and/or bamboo water pipe.
The study population for the development of a biologic specimen bank for the study of early markers of lung cancer is all YTC miners considered to be at high risk for lung cancer based on their occupation exposure (40+ years old with 10+ years of underground or smelting experience). Currently numbering over 7,000, this high-risk group has been the target for the annual lung cancer screening program at the YTC for the past 20+ years. For each high-risk miner, sputum samples are collected annually, read for cytologic interpretation, and stored in Saccomanno's solution for future early marker research. Screening chest x-rays are also obtained. Subjects are followed annually to determine if any have developed lung cancer. Diagnostic workup of suspicious cases includes an additional sputum sample and histology specimen(s), which are used for diagnostic purposes and also retained for future research.
Additional biologic specimens have also been obtained on screenees for etiologic research, including a one-time collection of whole blood, urine, and toenail clippings. Finger stick bloods and buccal smears for DNA will also be sought.
Detailed description
The overall goal of this project is to identify strategies to reduce lung cancer incidence and mortality. Using a high-risk occupational cohort, our specific objectives are 1) to establish a biologic specimen bank and data bank that can be used for the validation and refinement of potential early markers of lung cancer, and 2) to establish a cohort for the study of environmental (including dietary) and genetic risk factors for lung cancer.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from malignant neoplasms in the United States and in many countries around the world. Potential strategies to reduce the incidence and mortality of lung cancer include new methods of early detection and identification and alteration of etiologic factors.
The Yunnan Tin Corporation (YTC), located in Yunnan Province in southern China, is a large, nonferrous-metals industry, formed in 1883 and nationalized after the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949. It is involved principally in the production of tin from the mines around the city of Gejiu. The tin miners at YTC have extremely high rates of lung cancer. Among those at high risk, defined as miners 40+ years old with 10+ years of underground mining and/or smelting experience, more than one percent per year develop lung cancer. These extraordinary lung cancer rates result from combined exposure to radon, arsenic, and tobacco smoking in the form of cigarettes and/or bamboo water pipe.
The study population for the development of a biologic specimen bank for the study of early markers of lung cancer is all YTC miners considered to be at high risk for lung cancer based on their occupation exposure (40+ years old with 10+ years of underground or smelting experience). Currently numbering over 7,000, this high-risk group has been the target for the annual lung cancer screening program at the YTC for the past 20+ years. For each high-risk miner, sputum samples are collected annually, read for cytologic interpretation, and stored in Saccomanno's solution for future early marker research. Screening chest x-rays are also obtained. Subjects are followed annually to determine if any have developed lung cancer. Diagnostic workup of suspicious cases includes an additional sputum sample and histology specimen(s), which are used for diagnostic purposes and also retained for future research.
Additional biologic specimens have also been obtained on screenees for etiologic research, including a one-time collection of whole blood, urine, and toenail clippings. Finger stick bloods and buccal smears for DNA will also be sought.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Tin Miners in China at risk of lung cancer | – | –Tin Miners in China at risk of lung cancer |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 40 to 100 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- The Yunnan Tin Corporation (YTC), located in Yunnan Province in southern China, is a large, nonferrousmetals industry, formed in 1883 and nationalized after the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949. It is involved principally in the production of tin from the mines around the city of Gejiu. The tin miners at YTC have extremely high rates of lung cancer. Among those at high risk, defined as miners 40+ years old with 10+ years of underground mining and/or smelting experience, more than one percent per year develop lung cancer. These extraordinary lung cancer rates result from combined exposure to radon, arsenic, and tobacco smoking in the form of cigarettes and/or bamboo water pipe. The study population for the development of a biologic specimen bank for the study of early markers of lung cancer@@@is all YTC miners considered to be at high risk for lung cancer based on their occupation exposure (40+ years old with 10+ years of underground or smelting experience).
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Study participants will be taken from those participating in the annual lung cancer screening examinations conducted by the Labor Protection Institute of the YTC.
- Current or retired workers between the ages of 40 and 74.
- A history of 10 or more years of underground mining and/or smelting experience.
- No proven, active malignancy or serious illness that would interfere with sputum specimen collection.
Key exclusion criteria (0 listed)
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Identification, validation and refinement of potential early markers of lung cancer
Time frame: 12/31/2040
Examining sputum microbiome
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 29 Oct 2026.
- Background: PubMed 9408549Qiao YL, Taylor PR, Yao SX, Erozan YS, Luo XC, Barrett MJ, Yan QY, Giffen CA, Huang SQ, Maher MM, Forman MR, Tockman MS. Risk factors and early detection of lung cancer in a cohort of Chinese tin miners. Ann Epidemiol. 1997 Nov;7(8):533-41. doi: 10.1016/s1047-2797(97)00115-4.
- Background: PubMed 9367062Qiao YL, Tockman MS, Li L, Erozan YS, Yao SX, Barrett MJ, Zhou WH, Giffen CA, Luo XC, Taylor PR. A case-cohort study of an early biomarker of lung cancer in a screening cohort of Yunnan tin miners in China. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1997 Nov;6(11):893-900.
- Background: PubMed 2611163Taylor PR, Qiao YL, Schatzkin A, Yao SX, Lubin J, Mao BL, Rao JY, McAdams M, Xuan XZ, Li JY. Relation of arsenic exposure to lung cancer among tin miners in Yunnan Province, China. Br J Ind Med. 1989 Dec;46(12):881-6. doi: 10.1136/oem.46.12.881.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 19265088Fan YG, Hu P, Jiang Y, Chang RS, Yao SX, Wang W, He J, Prorok P, Qiao YL. Association between sputum atypia and lung cancer risk in an occupational cohort in Yunnan, China. Chest. 2009 Mar;135(3):778-785. doi: 10.1378/chest.08-1469.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Christian C Abnet, Ph.D. principal investigator
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Lung Cancer, run by National Cancer Institute (NCI) at 1 site in China.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 0 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in China. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Identification, validation and refinement of potential early markers of lung cancer (time frame: 12/31/2040). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00340405, which also lists 4 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 29 Oct 2026.