Smoking Can Cause Irreversible Damage of Genes

According to a new tobacco study, conducted by the Maryland’s National Cancer Institute and published in the journal of Public Library of Science, tobacco consumption in the form of cigarette smoking can cause irreversible genetic damage. In some present and former smokers, genes responsible for the healthy division of cells appear to be abnormal. Such genetic damage can lead to the development of different forms of cancer, including lung cancer, even in people who have stopped smoking many years ago.

The research states that the overwhelming majority of lung cancer cases (90 percent - in men and over 80 percent - in women) can be due to tobacco consumption. Although the incidence of this deadly disease is slightly lower in those who kicked the habit at least five year ago, any length of smoking during the lifetime still remains a risk factor in developing lung cancer later in life.

The researchers came to their conclusions by examining malignant and healthy cells of a group of lung cancer patients from Italy. Seventy four subjects aged from 44 to 79 years old underwent a battery of genetic tests and were asked about their history of smoking. Non-smokers, former smoking, and current smokers were almost equally represented in the group.

In the course of the study, the researchers singled out 135 different genes that were permanently damaged in the tumour tissues of the former and current smokers. These alterations were not observed in those subjects who had never smoked. The most severe degree of genetic damage occurred in the current smokers.

During normal cell division, the parent cell splits into two daughter cells, with each inheriting the same amount of genetic information. In smokers, the mechanism that controls the proper division of genetic material in cells is altered, which produces genetic errors that can lead to the formation of cancer.

These new findings are crucial for understanding the way by which tobacco triggers lung malignancies and for future developing of preventive medication and effective drugs to treat the disease.

Darlene Marlow

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