Study: Smoking causes genetic changes that enable cancer growth
BBC News, May 14, 2008
According to BBC news, Oregon Health and Science University study has found that smoking can slow the production of a key protein, providing a possible explanation for the role smoking plays in lung cancer. This protein, called FANCD2, can help repair damaged lung cells and cause faulty cells to commit suicide before they become cancerous.
To study the effects of cigarette smoke on different proteins in lung cells, researchers created an artificial windpipe to mimic a smoker’s lung. Results showed that FANCD2 levels decreased low enough to allow DNA damage to occur and cancerous cells to dvelop.
“These findings show the important role FANCD2 plays in protecting lung cells against cigarette smoke an may explain why cigarette smoke is so toxic to these cells,” said lead researcher Dr. Laura Hays. Cells with very high levels of FANCD2 were resistant to the toxic effects of smoke.
This potential relationship between smoking and lung cancer offers researchers new insight in their efforts to improve treatments for the disease. Smoking causes 87% of all lung cancer cases and is responsible for 30% of all cancer deaths. Identifying smoking’s direct role in the development of lung cancer may also help provide further motivation for current smokers who are considering qutting.
To read the entire article, visit http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7396814.stm