Long associated with tobacco, lung cancer is starting to reach more and more people who have never smoked. In France, Public Health France estimated at 46,363 the number of new cases of lung cancer in 2018, for an estimated number of 33,117 deaths. He is one of the most deadly cancers in Francefollowed closely by breast cancer in women. This cancer is often linked to smoking, because toxins present in tobacco promote its development. However, the non-smokers represent up to 25 % people affected (source 1).
A study published on July 2 in the journal Nature highlights a cause that previous research had not mentioned, too focused on the causes related to tobacco. For this, the researchers analyzed the pulmonary tumors of 871 patients who have never smoked, spread over 28 geographic sites worldwide. They have established a link between the exhibition at the air pollution and the increase in genetic mutations Promoting cancer (source 2).
Mutations similar to those caused by tobacco
By analyzing the pulmonary tumors of these 871 patients, researchers have Detected genetic mutations called “mutational signatures”, revealing past exhibitions. “Our research shows that air pollution is strongly associated with the same types of DNA changes as those that we generally associate …
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