Smoking is perhaps one of the hardest habits to kick if you find yourself a slave to the cigarette.
Despite numerous studies that prove the detrimental (and life-threatening) effects of smoking, millions of people across the world continue to pick up that stick and light it up. While quitting is definitely easier said than done, the prospect of developing lung cancer can be a good deterrent for a lot of people.
For some, it's too little, too late. However, a new study led by scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York sheds light on why so many smokers don't get lung cancer, even if they've stuck with the habit their entire lives.
Many smokers are just built differently.
IMAGE: Andrew Leu / Unsplash
It's widely accepted that smoking causes DNA mutations in normal lung cells, which then increase the probability of lung cancer. But up until recently, no one could explain why only a small minority of heavy smokers develop the disease, while the remainder go on to live their lives as usual.
The study, published in Nature Genetics, suggests that many smokers have natural 'defence systems' that are better at neutralizing the detrimental effects of smoking. Call them 'better genes' if you will. According to the researchers, the findings could point to the right direction when it comes to who (among smokers) to monitor closely for lung cancer, as opposed to taking a more reactive approach.
“This may prove to be an important step toward the prevention and early detection of lung cancer risk and away from the current herculean efforts needed to battle late-stage disease, where the majority of health expenditures and misery occur,” said Simon Spivack, co-senior author of the study.
Up until the scientists' study, there wasn't even a real way to accurately quantify mutations in normal cells. But thanks to a few years of toil and hard work, co-senior author Jan Vijg managed to develop an improved method to carry out the sequencing of entire genomes in individual cells. The new method helps account for (and reduces) sequencing errors, providing a more accurate picture of cell mutation.
Cells mutate with natural age, whether you're a smoker or not.
IMAGE: National Cancer Institute / Unsplash
Looking at genetic profiles taken from the bronchi (the air passage that leads from the windpipe to the lungs) of 14 people who have never smoked and comparing them with samples taken from 19 light, moderate, and heavy smokers, the scientists found that the cells do mutate with natural age, and even more so in the lungs of smokers. However, like we said previously, not all smokers find themselves on the same boat.
"The heaviest smokers did not have the highest mutation burden," Spivack revealed.
The data may suggest that the heavy smokers could have survived this long without much cell mutation solely due to 'suppressed mutation', meaning it was slowed or plateaued.
"This leveling off of mutations could stem from these people having very proficient systems for repairing DNA damage or detoxifying cigarette smoke."
This could explain why roughly 80 to 90 percent of smokers never develop lung cancer, while those that don't smoke at all still develop tumors. The findings suggest that it isn't about how much you smoke (if at all); it depends on how well your body can repair DNA or reduce damage to it.
Aside from 'good DNA-repairing genes', your diet can also influence your cancer risk.
But of course, like anything that's bad for your health, not smoking is still the best way to prevent lung cancer in the first place.
Check out the full study here.
Read more stories related to smoking and lung cancer:
Malaysia wants to ban cigarette sales to those born after 2005
Singapore considers smoking ban following New Zealand’s lead
This chip is filled with tiny worms that detect lung cancer at 70% accuracy
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