Biomarkers in Patients With Respiratory Tract Dysplasia or Lung Cancer, Head and Neck Cancer, or Aerodigestive Tract Cancer and in Normal Volunteers

Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of extensive and severe dysplasia of the respiratory epithelium * Those without dysplasia of the respiratory epithelium * Recruited from the SPORE Tissue Procurement Screening Project or by private or academic physicians (for patients with moderate or severe dysplasia) * Survived 1 or more aerodigestive system carcinoma for ≥ 1 year * Completely resected stage I non-small cell cancer * Undergoing any of the following procedures: * Routine panendoscopy for patients with head and neck cancer * Resection of a bronchogenic carcinoma * Bronchoscopy for diagnosis or staging of suspected lung cancer * Subsequent bronchoscopy for surveillance or monitoring of response to endobronchial treatment in patients with prior high-grade dysplasia or worse * No asthma * No lung disease * No respiratory illness within the past 2 weeks Patients suspected of or at risk for neoplastic lung disease who are undergoing a bronchoscopy in which differential diagnostic considerations may include multiple other etiologies such as infection and other processes. * Patients without dysplasia will be: patients undergoing clinically indicated bronchoscopy for conditions other than suspected lung cancer. PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * No clinically apparent bleeding diathesis * No known bleeding disorder * No anginal * No clinically active coronary artery disease * No multifocal premature ventricular contractions * No poorly controlled congestive heart failure * No myocardial infarction within the past 6 weeks * No cardiac dysrhythmia that is potentially life threatening * Well-controlled atrial fibrillation or rare (\< 2/min) premature ventricular contractions allowed * No ventricular tachycardia or supraventricular tachycardia with a rapid ventricular response * No other serious medical condition that would preclude a patient from undergoing a bronchoscopy * No acute bronchitis or pneumonia within the past 8 weeks except when clinically proven as a possible result of lung cancer * No hypoxemia (i.e., \< 90% saturation with supplemental oxygen) before bronchoscopy PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * See Disease Characteristics