Think tobacco is a danger to your health? It could be even worse if you possess a genetic mutation linked to a dramatic increase in smokers’ already high odds of developing lung cancer.
“It’s sort of a double whammy,” says Christopher Amos, a geneticist at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, who led one of three teams to discover the gene variant. The variant, which is carried by around half of people with European ancestry, may not only sensitise cells to nicotine, but also make it harder for smokers to kick their habit.
Previous studies have hinted…
