A study led by specialists from the Cancer Center Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CCUN) has concluded that heavy smokers — more than 20 cigarettes a day– who present extreme phenotypes of high and low risk of developing tobacco-associated lung cancer show different genetic profiles than smokers who do not suffer from this disease.
The research results have been published in the journal ‘eBioMedicine’, a publication of ‘The Lancet’ group, which has a high impact in the field of Molecular Biology and genetic advancements. In addition, the study’s progress was presented at the American Society of Oncology Congress held in Chicago.
Researchers have analyzed the germinal DNA (that of normal cells) of heavy smokers who either developed lung cancer at a mean age of 50 years, or did not present it at a mean age of 80 years, despite having smoked.
To do this, state-of-the-art techniques have been used and the results have been analyzed using bioinformatics and artificial intelligence methods, in collaboration with Cima Universidad de Navarra and Tecnun-Escuela de Ingeniería de la Universidad de Navarra.
Doctor José Luis Pérez Gracia and Doctor Ana Patiño, specialists in the Lung Cancer Area of CCUN and lead authors of the article, explain that “this work takes the first steps to identify genes that may play an important role in the development of this disease.” “Working in this line will allow us to know why there are smokers who are more prone than others to develop lung cancer,” they added.
Researchers have identified genetic variants that show significant differences among heavy smokers with a higher risk of getting sick and those with a lower predisposition. Many of the validated genes have relevant functions for cancer development, such as cell growth regulation and immune response, as well as DNA repair.
“Tobacco is the main risk factor for developing lung cancer. If we identify genetic profiles that provide greater protection or greater susceptibility to developing this disease, we can propose new therapeutic approaches or new forms of prevention,” says Dr. Pérez Gracia.
