"Non-smoker Lung Cancer... Air Pollution Causes 'Carcinogenic Mutations'"

Activation of Mutagenic Substrates Causing Lung Cancer by Ultrafine Particulate Matter Pollution

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[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Nayeon Kim] The academic community has revealed for the first time the specific mechanism by which air pollution leads to lung cancer.

Although there have been many analyses suggesting that lung cancer, which primarily affects smokers, is related to air pollution when it occurs in non-smokers, the causal relationship had never been established.

According to AFP, Professor Charles Swanton of the Francis Crick Institute in the UK claimed on the 10th (local time) at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) annual conference held in Paris, France, that he confirmed the link between air pollution and cancer-causing mutations.

By analyzing health data of approximately 460,000 people including British, Korean, and Taiwanese individuals, it was found that exposure to PM2.5 (ultrafine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less) increases the risk of cancer-causing mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene.

Experiments conducted on laboratory mice also confirmed that polluted particles cause mutations in the EGFR gene and another carcinogenic gene, KRAS.

EGFR and KRAS are commonly observed in patients with lung cancer. However, this fact alone was not sufficient to prove a causal relationship that mutations cause lung cancer, since these mutations can also be found in healthy lung tissue as people age.

The research team decisively discovered that when cells with these mutations are exposed to ultrafine particulate pollution, inflammation is induced in the lungs, increasing the likelihood of transformation into cancer cells.

In other words, pollutants in the air act as a fuse, activating cancer-causing mutation substrates that were originally dormant within the cells.

Susette Delarozie, a researcher at the Gustave Roussy Institute in France, evaluated, "This study represents a significant step for both the scientific community and society," adding, "It opens the door to new knowledge and methods to prevent cancer occurrence."

Professor Swanton described this research as "a warning about the impact of pollution on human health," and stated, "If we want to solve human health issues, we must first address climate health."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.