Work

TP53-Mutated Preneoplastic Colonies, Adaptive Immune Response, and Risk for Lung Cancer and COPD

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to better characterize the prevalence and size distributions of TP53-mutated preneoplastic colonies in relation to the risk for lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Ultrasensitive next-generation sequencing was used to assess colonies comprising as few as 100 cells in airway epithelium. Specimens from 59 subjects with a heavy smoking history were assessed in four cohorts: lung cancer with (n = 14) or without COPD (n = 16) and non–lung cancer with (n = 7) or without COPD (n = 22). TP53-mutated preneoplastic colony prevalence was higher in lung cancer subjects with or without COPD and in COPD subjects without lung cancer (P < 0.01). A higher prevalence of colonies driven by the subset of TP53 mutations known to be neoantigenic in cancer tissue was nominally significant (P < 0.05). TP53-mutated colony distributions skewed to larger sizes among lung cancer subjects and skewed greater among subjects with both COPD and active cigarette smoking (P < 0.01), each of which is associated with adaptive immune inflammation. Thus, TP53-mutated colony prevalence and size distribution measured in nonmalignant airway epithelium improved characterization of lung cancer and COPD risk. Further, these colonies may stimulate the adaptive immune response and inflammation that is mechanistically associated with COPD. A skew to larger colonies is consistent with selection for immune surveillance avoidance characteristics and may provide a metric for both lung cancer risk and immune surveillance function. Among healthier non-COPD smokers who are ineligible for lung cancer screening based on demographic criteria, a positive TP53 biomarker test may identify lung cancer risk sufficiently high to warrant screening eligibility. Prevention Relevance: TP53-mutated colony prevalence and size distribution measured in nonmalignant airway epithelium improved characterization of lung cancer and COPD risk. The observed skew to larger colonies in lung cancer subjects is consistent with selection for immune surveillance avoidance and may enable measurement of immune surveillance function to guide the development of prevention therapeutics.

Source: Cancer Prevention Research

DOI: 10.1158/1940-6207.capr-26-0112