Lung cancer in never smokers: molecular profiles and therapeutic implications.

ABSTRACT: The majority of lung cancers are caused by long term exposure to the several classes of carcinogens present in tobacco smoke. Although a significant fraction of lung cancers in never smokers may also be attributable to tobacco, many such cancers arise in the absence of detectable tobacco exposure, and may follow a very different cellular and molecular pathway of malignant transformation. Recent studies summarized here suggest that lung cancers arising in never smokers have a distinct natural history, profile of oncogenic mutations, and response to targeted therapy. The majority of molecular analyses of lung cancer have focused on genetic profiling of pathways responsible for metabolism of primary tobacco carcinogens. Limited research has been conducted evaluating familial aggregation and g

SUBMITTER: Rudin CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2950319 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature