For years,
the medical community has been baffled by the instances where health-conscious
non-smokers develop lung cancer while a handful of heavy smokers retain their
healthy lungs well into their nineties. A recent study by the University of
Leicester revealed that the answer to these ‘rare healthy smokers’ are actually
good genes.
According to the
Medical Research council, mutations in DNA provide enhanced lung function and
protection against the often fatal effects of smoking, although acquiring these
genes are often rare and often by pure lucky chance. However, not smoking is
still the safer option than gambling on good genes, researchers report in their
study published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine Journal.
The Leicester research
team based their study on their survey of 50, 000 volunteers, all from the United
Kingdom’s Biobank project. They focused on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease of COPD, thought to affect over three million people in the UK alone
and is often dismissed as ‘smoker’s cough’. The researchers found a rather simple but integral discovery: that
sections of our DNA reduces the risk of COPD, lowering the risk of some people
in developing lung disease. After decades of puzzlement, the human DNA contains a form of immunity against possible cancer, in this case, cancer of the lung. This discovery opens up a whole new ground for medicine and the possibility for a cancer cure.
"There doesn't appear to be any kind of magic bullet that would
give anyone guaranteed protection against tobacco smoke - they would still have
lungs that were unhealthier than they would be had they been a non-smoker,” Professor Martin Tobin, one of the researchers
from the University of Leicester said.
The same genes are yet
to be found as giving the same immunity to other diseases such as cancers and
heart disorders. The findings were first presented during a meeting of the European
Respiratory Society. Although the results of the research are not wholly divulged tot he public so far, we do know that further studies will be conducted to narrow down for the immunity gene.
"These findings represent a significant step forward in helping
us achieve a clearer picture about the fascinating and intricate reality of lung
health,” said Ian Jarrold, head of research at the British Lung Foundation, “"Understanding genetic predisposition is
essential in not only helping us develop new treatments for people with lung
disease but also in teaching otherwise healthy people how to better take care
of their lungs."
With one in ten people dying of smoking-related diseases globally, the Leicester research is breaking ground on integral steps to untangling the riddle of cancer. Although it will take time, decades possibly, science is on the right path to solving lung cancer step by step. Having a small percentage of the human populace immune to lung cancer almost sounds like it came right out of science fiction. Now whether further research will look for these rare individuals or not, we cannot be sure; but one thing is certain: the possibility of a cancer cure is getting clearer.
References:
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/type/lung-cancer/about/lung-cancer-risks-and-causeshttp://www.nature.com/nri/journal/v9/n5/full/nri2530.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34360865
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/cancer.html
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