Researchers Find Genetic Link In Development of Lung Cancer
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Three research groups announced yesterday that they have identified a widely distributed genetic variation that appears to increase the odds of developing lung cancer.
Although 80% of lung cancer cases are attributable to smoking, scientists have long known that genetics play a role. Family studies have shown that having a parent or sibling with lung cancer doubles or triples the odds of developing the disease.
Yet finding the genes that predispose people to lung cancer has been difficult.
The studies implicated a genetic variation located near a cluster of genes on chromosome 15 that are involved in the body’s response to nicotine.
The papers said that people who inherit the variation from one parent have a 30% greater chance of getting lung cancer. Those who inherit the variation from both parents face an increased risk of 70% to 80%.
The discovery might help explain why some smokers don’t get lung cancer and some occasional smokers don’t become addicted. In general, smokers face a 15% chance of developing lung cancer; smokers with a copy of the genetic variation have about the same risk. But, smokers who inherit two copies face about a one in four chance of getting lung cancer.
