Oncology PlenaryMechanism of Action and Inflammatory Axis for Air Pollution Induced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Date: 22 Sep 2023, Friday | Time: 1610 - 1655 | Track Type: Plenary Lecture | Venue: L1-S3, Academia
Speaker: Prof Charles Swanton
A mechanistic basis for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) initiation in never smokers, a disease with high frequency EGFR mutations (EGFRm), is unknown. Air pollution particulate matter (PM) is known to be associated with the risk of NSCLC, however a direct cause and mechanism remain elusive. 463,679 individuals were analysed to address the associations of increasing 2.5um PM (PM2.5) concentrations with cancer risk. An ultra-deep profiling of 247 normal lung tissue samples was also performed, with analysis of normal lung tissue from humans and mice following exposures to PM as well as an investigation of the consequences of PM in mouse lung cancer models.
This presentation will reveal the mechanistic basis for PM driven lung cancer in the absence of classical carcinogen-driven mutagenesis, reminiscent of models of tumour initiation and promotion proposed 70 years ago, providing an urgent mandate to limit air pollution, revealing opportunities for molecular targeted cancer prevention.
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