Tobacco.org

Lung Cancer Genes Identified 

Three new reports by research teams in the U.S., Europe and Iceland have identified, for the first time, specific gene variants that appear to make some smokers and former smokers more susceptible than others to cancer. The two variants -- or differences in a single nucleotide -- exist in about 34% of the population and occur in genes in the same region of the long arm of chromosome 15. Those genes code for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, cell-surface proteins that selectively bind to nicotine molecules. Once nicotine attaches to these receptors, a series of changes in the cells is triggered . . .

"These are very interesting and potentially very, very important findings," says Dr. Norman Edelman, chief medical officer of the American Lung Association. "They put nicotine front and center in smoking-related diseases, including lung cancer."

What sets the new research apart from previous studies of lung-cancer genes is the researchers' effort to separate the influence of genetic variants on cancer risk from the impact of years of smoking. . . .

The new results allow researchers to construct a better picture of how cigarette smoking affects the body, and how the active agents in cigarettes, including nicotine, alter the normal growth and development of cells in the lung. That could lead to improved and individualized smoking-cessation drugs and programs, which are currently successful only 25% of the time. "It could be that we need to tailor how we get people to quit," says Amos. For some, behavior modification may be sufficient; perhaps others will need targeted nicotine-blocking drugs that can fight any genetic bias toward addiction.

Jump to full article »

These are very interesting and potentially very, very important findings. They put nicotine front and center in smoking-related diseases, including lung cancer.
Dr. Norman Edelman, chief medical officer of the American Lung Association, on the 3 studies that have identified specific gene variants that appear to make some smokers and former smokers more susceptible than others to cancer.