Smokers are not the only ones who risk developing lung cancer; certain people have a genetic predisposition.
A team included researchers from the University of Cincinnati and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. It concludes that individuals with a certain type of genetic susceptibility to lung cancer face a greatly increased risk for the deadly disease with even a small exposure to cigarette smoke.
Even non-smokers with this genetic variant have the risk of developing lung cancer. There is unfortunately no test available to evaluate risk in individuals.
The study was conducted by the Genetic Epidemiology of Lung Cancer Consortium (GELCC).
Marshall Anderson, PhD, a professor in UC’s cancer and cell biology department, is principal investigator of the GELCC, whose UC portion is known as the Family Lung Cancer Study.
He says, "The study shows a strong gene-environment interaction between a region of chromosome 6q and smoking. People with this susceptibility locus can develop lung cancer even with a very little bit of smoking."
Smoking is also related to the development of several other cancers. It is safest to abstain completely.