Gene variant linked to decreased lung cancer risk

A gene variant connected to inflammation and immune response has been linked to a decreased risk of lung cancer.

This is one of the findings of an analysis published online in CANCER – a peer-reviewed periodical of the American Cancer Society – with the results adding to the increasing amount of data implicating these processes in the development of the disease.

Along with their colleagues, Anil Chaturvedi PhD and Meredith Shiels PHD MHS of the National Cancer Institute of Rockville, Maryland, analysed 1,429 variants in inflammation and immunity-related genes from 378 patients with lung cancer and 450 healthy controls from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian cancer screening trial, which will continue until 2015.

The tests revealed a link between lung cancer and 81 single nucleotide polymorphisms located in 44 genes.

Dr Shiels commented: "Our study provides further evidence that inflammation may be associated with lung cancer risk."