A group of British scientists have discovered the cellular origin of a common form of lung cancer that is closely linked to smoking. In a study published in Science, they found that smoking damages the basal cells of the trachea (the organ that connects the larynx to the bronchi), causing them to dominate over other cell types and invade large parts of the lungs.
"We found that a subset of cells that express the Krt5 gene become dominant and begin to displace normal cells. The expansion becomes apparent and the descendants of some of the original tracheal cells invade the normal cells, in some cases populating entire lobes of the lung. It is these cells that ultimately form tumors," explains Sam Janes, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at University College London and lead author of the study.
This damage leads to the creation of precancerous lesions, which ultimately develop into squamous cell carcinoma, one of the most common forms of lung cancer.
Lung cancer is a leading cause of death in industrialized countries, and the most common risk factor is smoking. Squamous cell lung cancer, or squamous cell carcinoma, is a malignant lung tumor that develops when cells accumulate damage due to exposure to toxins.
The discovery helps understand the transition of healthy cells into cancerous cells and could lead to improved early diagnosis, increasing the possibilities of treating and preventing lung cancer.
Scientists hope that this discovery will lead to the development of methods to identify changes in basal cells before they turn into tumors, enabling early diagnosis and prevention of lung cancer. (A2 Televizion)
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