Children Exposed to Secondhand Smoke At Increased Risk for Lung Cancer As Adults

Whereas exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke during adulthood has detrimental health effects, including increased lung cancer risk, children may be particularly susceptible to this exposure.  Curtis C. Harris, from the National Cancer Institute (NCI;  Maryland, USA), and colleagues used data from the NCI Maryland Lung Cancer study, which collected data on secondhand smoke history among men and women; the team also genotyped the subjects’ DNA to assess for a specific genetic polymorphism.  The researchers found an association between childhood exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke and increased risk of lung cancer in adulthood. Further, they found that those individuals with the genetic polymorphism were at an even greater risk among those who were exposed.  They conclude that:  “Secondhand smoke exposure during childhood is associated with increased lung cancer risk among never smokers, particularly among those possessing a haplotype corresponding to a known overactive complement pathway of the innate immune system.”