Reacción a "Mutations caused by pollution in lung cancer in non-smokers revealed"

The article provides further evidence on the possible carcinogenic mechanism of environmental pollution in lung cancer. An important aspect is that the study was conducted on people who had never smoked, as this eliminates the possible confounding factor of tobacco and some of the carcinogens it contains, which are similar to those found in certain environmental pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

The results are in line with previous studies. It should be noted that there may not be a single molecular target (none has been found for lung cancer in smokers), but rather several genes and different molecular pathways are likely to be involved. It provides further insight into the need for measures against environmental pollution, the effects of which are likely to be exacerbated in smokers.

[Regarding possible limitations] The article does not mention the second risk factor for lung cancer according to the WHO, which is exposure to radon. Studies carried out, including in Spain, provide important evidence on the effect of radon exposure on the risk of lung cancer in never-smokers. Another limitation is that the occupational exposure of the participants is not fully assessed, which may play a very important role. Finally, the complexity of measuring exposure to environmental pollution (which varies greatly between individuals even residing in the same area) should be highlighted.