Genetics, Gender And a Cancer Risk
01/05/00
A gene that is more active in women than in men may explain why female smokers are more than twice as likely to develop lung cancer as male smokers, researchers say.
Researchers studying the genetic structure of lung tissue cells removed from both men and women found that a gene linked to abnormal growth of lung cells is much more active in women.
The study, appearing in today's Journal of the National Cancer Institute, showed that the action of a specific gene increased lung cancer risk in both women and men who smoke, but the risk was 12 times higher for women with the active gene and only 2.4 times higher for men who had the active gene.
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