The decline in lung cancer and the genetics of nicotine addiction.
Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: Smoking causes over 85 % of lung cancers (figure) in men and 70 % in women. The incidence has declined over recent years and a paper from the Harvard School of Public Health has now shown that recent lung cancer risk in younger age cohorts in Ireland has declined faster than previously, particularly in males.1 This is good news for patients and given the smoking ban in Northern Ireland introduced on 30th April 2007, this decline should be expected to accelerate further. We know that lung cancer is generally not a hereditary disorder as most cases are smoking related, but nicotine addiction is strongly inherited and several genes have now been isolated, including CHRNB3 – the β3 nicotine receptor subunit gene2,3. It is now recognised that gene carriers (and in particular, females) are more sensitive to nicotine and have a lower addictive threshold. This may be a possible reason
Source: Europe PMC (PubMed Central)
Author: Patrick J Morrison
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1571675175