Bladder cancer and smoking: a correlation that is becoming clearer
June 2, 2020
Par: chef-projet@dnf.asso.fr
Dernière mise à jour: June 2, 2020
Temps de lecture: 3 minutes
To date, scientific data is still lacking to definitively determine the causes of bladder cancer. To verify the link between smoking and bladder cancer, researchers at the University of York went so far as to artificially recreate the damage caused to DNA by the toxins contained in cigarette smoke.[1].
After culturing human bladder tissue in vitro, researchers Simon C. Baker, Andrew S. Mason, and Jennifer Southgate actually exposed it to a toxin from cigarette smoke to examine a mutational signature.
The mutational signature: an indicator of damage suffered
In a press release published on the establishment's website[2]Baker explains in a very educational way that the mutational signature is comparable to criminal fingerprints at a crime scene. By recording them, it is possible to identify all the factors responsible for the damage. It was therefore appropriate to examine the mutational signature left on damaged bladder tissue to establish the involvement of tobacco smoke toxin in the development of bladder cancer.
The implication of smoking in the development of bladder cancer
The study conducted highlighted the involvement of the studied toxin in the modification of the DNA of bladder tissue. It thus demonstrated the harmful consequences of smoking and in particular the risk factor in the development of bladder cancer. However, the study failed to show that the toxins present in cigarette smoke were the main cause because the mutational signature of the studied toxin did not represent a significant part of the damage.
Experimental results that suggest new avenues for the scientific community
The researchers' attention was therefore redirected to the "APOBEC" enzymes involved in the body's immune response in the event of infection. The toxins contained in tobacco smoke would indeed have an impact on these enzymes and thus indirectly participate in DNA damage.[3], and by extension to the development of bladder cancer.
[1] https://www.europeanurology.com/article/S0302-2838(20)30224-4/fulltext
[2] https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2020/research/recreate-dna-damage-smoking/
