PWhy do heavy smokers not develop cancer, while less regular smokers have to fight tumors? Smoking is considered the main culprit of this leading cause of cancer death. If some heavy smokers, that is to say those who consume about a pack a day, are not affected by this disease during their life, they owe it to their DNA, according to a recent study published in Nature Genetics and reported by Slate, Friday, May 27. A part of the followers of the cigarette would have the chance to have particular cells which line their lungs. They would act as a protection over time, being less likely to mutate, despite the amount of accumulated tobacco.
“These lung cells survive for years, even decades, and can therefore accumulate mutations with age and smoking. Of all the types of lung cells, those that line the lungs are among the most likely to become cancerous,” explains epidemiologist and pulmonologist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Simon Spivack. Occasional smokers, heavy smokers and non-smokers participated in the study, which led to the conclusion that “the heaviest tobacco users did not necessarily have the highest mutation rate”.
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Mechanical genetic stabilization
“Our data suggests that these people may have survived this long, despite their heavy smoking, because they were able to suppress the accumulation of mutations. This stabilization of mutations could come from the fact that these people have very efficient systems for detoxifying cigarette smoke”, continues Simon Spivack, who is now studying “a person’s ability to repair or detoxify DNA”. i.e. to repair the damage caused.
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