Published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the findings show that smokers who carry the newly discovered genetic marker are around 120 times more likely to get lung cancer than non-smokers who do not have the risk factor.
A simple blood test based on these findings will be able to detect smokers who are at especially high risk of developing lung cancer.
The findings, made by Prof. Zvi Livneh and Dr. Tamar Paz-Elizur of the Biological Chemistry Department, are a result of many years of research conducted on the role of DNA-repair mechanisms in cancer. The scientists focused on lung cancer, one of the most common and most deadly cancers, responsible for 30% of all cancer deaths. In the USA alone there are 160,000 new patients per year. Smoking is the major cause of lung cancer, and 90% of hospitalized lung cancer patients are smokers. However, only 10% of heavy smokers develop the disease, suggesting involvement of a personal genetic susceptibility. Livneh struck up a collaboration with Dr. Meir Krupsky of the Chaim Sheba Medical Center to determine whether this susceptibility is caused by a decreased ability to repair DNA damage.
Our DNA is damaged about 20,000 times a day by factors such as sunlight, smoke and reactions within the body. If left unrepaired, damages to the DNA can lead to cancer. Fortunately the body has a stock of enzymes whose function is to repair DNA. These enzymes scan the DNA and detect damage using sophisticated sensor systems. Upon detection of damage, the enzymes perform an "operation" on the DNA, cutting out the damaged part and replacing it with a new DNA part. Thus the efficiency of the repair systems is critical for the prevention of cancer.
Livneh and his team concentrated on a specific DNA repair enzyme,
'"/>
Contact: Alex Smith
Alex_smith@margeotes.com
212-460-0563
American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science
2-Sep-2003