A New Way to Look at Lung Cancer and Tobacco Carcinogens: Penn Researchers Find New Links in Critical Chemical Pathway

PHILADELPHIA -- Two types of cancer-causing agents in cigarettes - a nicotine-derived chemical and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) - are the main culprits in lung cancer. Exposure to tobacco smoke - both mainstream and second-hand - is a leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Previous studies have shown how PAHs damage DNA, with the emphasis on how PAHs bind directly to DNA itself, leading to the mutations in critical genes that cause disease. Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine's Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET) have shown that PAHs, via oxidative stress, can also led to mutations in critical genes important in lung cancer. The findings were published online...