Air pollution and engine exhaust are established risk factors for lung cancer development. In a recent article in Nature, Swanton and colleagues provide mechanistic evidence for environmental particulate matter (PM) in promoting lung cancer in cells with pre-existing oncogenic mutations. Using epidemiological data from England, South Korea and Taiwan, Hill et al. first established a consistent relationship between the concentration per geographical area of PM smaller than 2.5 μm and estimated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-driven lung cancer incidence. The authors then controlled for individual migration by using a cohort with a detailed residential history and found that EGFR-driven lung cancer incidence was significantly higher after 3 years of high air pollution exposure, suggesting that this may be enough time for manifestation of disease. Next, using a mouse model of lung adenocarcinoma with an inducible EGFR mutation (EGFRL858R), the authors observed a dose-dependent increase in the number of pre-invasive neoplasia in mice exposed to fine PM (versus PBS control) for 3 weeks.
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