Study Provides Valuable Insights About Non-Smokers Who Develop Lung Cancer

Lung cancer, one of the most common types of cancer, has for a long time been known to largely develop among smokers. However, recent studies have established that around one quarter of people diagnosed with lung cancer has never smoked. This has baffled the scientific community as there was no clear explanation why such a significant proportion of lung cancer patients didn’t have a history of smoking. 

A study has now provided key insights into the factors that could predispose many non-smokers to the development of lung cancer. This study was published in the journal Nature early this month. 

The study, led by Doctor Maria Landi from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and UC San Diego’s Doctor Ludmil Alexandrov, focused on exploring the genomic factors evident in lung cancer patients that had never smoked. For their study, the team analyzed the entire genomes of 871 individuals that had never smoked but were diagnosed with lung cancer. 

The researchers obtained tumor samples from these people who were selected from 4 continents; Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. The team was specifically interested in samples from individuals that hadn’t started receiving treatment for the cancer. 

An analysis of the samples yielded mutational signatures that were common to all the study subjects. This was compared to data on how long those individuals had been exposed to air pollution. The geographic location of each patient helped in determining the magnitude of air pollution to which these individuals were exposed. 

The researchers found that exposure to high levels of particulate matter from air pollution due to industrial activity and vehicular exhaust fumes increased chances of a mutation called TP53. The gene linked to this mutation controls a protein associated with suppressing tumors. 

Furthermore, the team found that people who were highly exposed to air pollution also tended to have shorter telomeres. Telomeres are caps on chromosomes and they protect those chromosomes from tangling or fraying. When telomeres are short, various conditions, such as organ failure, cancer development, and other complications to one’s health can develop. Additionally, a mutational signature referred to as SB54 has a 3.9-times chance of occurring. This signature is common among smokers who go on to develop lung cancer. 

This study shows that exposure to high levels of air pollution triggers genetic changes that increases the chances of developing lung cancer, whether one is a smoker or not. 

There’s a lot that hasn’t been understood about lung cancer. For example, why is it that more women than men tend to develop lung cancer without a history of smoking? And, why are Asian women more likely to be afflicted with lung cancer even if they have never smoked? 

Plenty of research needs to be done to unpack all these questions. In the meantime, efforts are being channeled by companies like Calidi Biotherapeutics Inc. (NYSE American: CLDI) to develop effective treatments for lung cancer. This is especially critical because as urbanization and industrialization increase, a lot more non-smokers are likely to develop lung cancer and it could take an even bigger toll on communities than it is already doing. 

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