Scientists are warning that a new wave of cancer caused by vaping could happen in around a decade's time. The alert follows a series of studies carried out by the Francis Crick Institute (FCI).
They were investigating why around one in eight patients diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK do not smoke, The Independent reported. This is despite smoking being one of the leading causes of the disease.
Researchers said that, although vaping is safer than smoking cigarettes, the long-term effects on people's health remains unclear. Some 3.6 million people in the UK vape and it is common among ex-smokers who are trying to quit.
Professor Charles Swanton, clinical scientist at the FCI and chief clinician at Cancer Research UK, said: “I don’t think we can say vaping is necessarily a safe option to quit smoking. It may be safer but that doesn’t mean it’s safe. We don’t know for certain that vaping won’t cause lung cancer 10 years from now.”
The researchers used studies on humans and mice which measured exposure to sooty pollution particles in the air that can cause cancerous cells to grow in the lungs. Their findings indicate that the pathway that causes tumours in non-smokers differs from those caused by smoking, which is thought to prompt a direct mutation to DNA that can lead to cancer.
The results suggest that irritants such as air pollution bring about inflammation that precedes a healing process that "wakes up" dormant cells capable of triggering cancerous mutations. Scientists are concerned that vaping might cause the same process.
Researchers think anti-inflammatory drugs could go some way towards halting the process that causes cancer. But they warn this could be years away.
Professor Swanton said: “The mechanism we’ve identified could help us to find better ways to prevent and treat lung cancer in never smokers. If we can stop cells from growing in response to air pollution, we can reduce the risk of lung cancer.”
Dr William Hill, another researcher at the FCI, said: “Finding ways to block or reduce inflammation caused by air pollution would go a long way to reducing the risk of lung cancer in people who have never smoked.”
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