New discovery on the cause of lung cancer

According to AFP, the study has not been published in a peer-reviewed journal, but was presented by a team of experts from the Francis Crick Institute (UK), at the annual meeting of the African Society of Medical Oncology, taking place in Paris today. 10/9.

The study illustrated the health risks posed by small particles from burning fossil fuels, prompting calls for more urgent action to combat climate change.

According to Charles Swanton of the Francis Crick Institute, this research could pave the way for a new field of cancer prevention.

Decode the mysterious phenomenon

Air pollution has long been linked to a higher risk of lung cancer in people who have never smoked. Normally, it is thought that exposure to carcinogens such as in cigarette smoke or pollution causes DNA mutations. As a result, many people get cancer.

However, there is still a fuzzy spot in this hypothesis. According to Mr. Swanton, previous research has shown that DNA mutations can be present without causing cancer. And especially most of the carcinogens in the environment do not cause genetic mutations.

A man walks through air pollution in New Delhi, India.

Therefore, his research proposes another explanation model. A team of experts from the Francis Crick Institute and University College London analyzed the health data of more than 460,000 people in the UK, South Korea and Taiwan.

They found exposure to microscopic PM2.5 pollution particles - less than 2.5 microns in size - led to a higher risk of mutations in the EGFR gene.

In laboratory studies in mice, the team found particles that cause changes in the EGFR gene as well as in the KRAS gene, both of which are associated with lung cancer.

In the end, they analyzed nearly 250 samples of human lung tissue that had never been exposed to carcinogens by smoking or heavy pollution. Their lungs were healthy but had DNA mutations in 18% of the EGFR gene and 33% of the KRAS gene.

'They're just 'sitting' there and probably not enough to develop into cancer,' Mr Swanton said, adding that mutations appear to increase with age.

But when a cell is exposed to pollution, he added, it can trigger a "wound healing response" that causes inflammation. And if that cell "contains a mutation, it will form cancer".

According to the expert, this has helped them uncover the biological mechanism behind what was previously a mystery.

In another experiment in mice, they found that an antibody can block the inflammatory mediator interleukin 1 beta, preventing cancer from starting in the first place.

Mr Swanton hopes this finding will provide the basis for future new cancer prevention at the molecular level. That's where patients need to take just one pill a day to reduce their cancer risk.

"Revolution"

Suzette Delaloge, director of the Cancer Prevention Program at France's Gustave Roussy Institute, said the study was "revolutionary, because we don't have any proof of how cancer forms to replace previous theories. ".

"This is a pretty important step forward for science and I hope for society as well," she told AFP.

Ms. Delaloge was not involved in the study but did offer some discussion about it at the conference on September 10. According to her, this opens the door to both knowledge and new ways to prevent cancer from developing. At the same time, it forces the authorities to act on an international scale.

New research finds that exposure to microscopic PM2.5 pollution particles - This is a genetic mutation that increases the risk of lung cancer.

Oncologist Tony Mok, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, called the study "interesting". He said: 'We might question whether in the future it's possible to use lung tomography to look for precancerous lesions in this organ and try to reverse them with drugs like drugs. beta interleukin 1 inhibitor or not.

Meanwhile, Mr Swanton called air pollution a "hidden killer". Research estimates it is linked to the deaths of more than 8 million people each year - about the same as smoking.

Another study linked PM2.5 to 250,000 annual deaths from lung cancer.

"You and I have a choice about whether or not to smoke, but we don't have a choice about the air we breathe. Given that the number of people exposed to air pollution levels is five times higher, we don't have a choice. times that of cigarettes, you'll find this is a huge global problem," added Mr Swanton.

The expert stressed that we can only solve it if we recognize the intimate connection between climate health and human health.

Lung cancer is a common disease in the world and has become the leading cause of cancer death in recent years. An estimated 1.8 million people die globally from lung cancer each year.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, noticeable symptoms of lung cancer may not appear until the disease is advanced. In some cases, symptoms are difficult to recognize or easily confused with many other health conditions such as fatigue, cough, chest pain, unexplained shortness of breath, weight loss or loss of appetite. According to the American Cancer Society, if your symptoms do not improve or become more severe, such as coughing up blood, you should seek medical attention immediately.