ESMO22: How does air pollution trigger cancer in non-smokers?

Research presented at the ESMO Congress 2022 (9–13 September, Paris, France) has uncovered a novel mechanism by which tiny pollutant particles in the air may trigger lung cancer in individuals who have never smoked. The air pollutants, termed particulate matter (PM), can be found in vehicle exhaust fumes and smoke from fossil fuels and are known to be associated with developing NSCLC. “The same particles in the air that derive from the combustion of fossil fuels, exacerbating climate change, are directly impacting human health via an important and previously overlooked cancer-causing mechanism in lung cells,” commented Charles Swanton of the...