Yale Cancer Center researchers have identified a genetic biomarker that may help to determine why some people are at an increased risk of developing lung cancer.

The findings, published in the journal Cancer Research, could help identify smokers who should be carefully screened for lung cancer.

“Only 10% of smokers will develop lung cancer in their lifetime and genetic testing to determine the population of smokers who are most predisposed to develop the disease is needed to help guide better evaluation for these people,” explained Joanne B. Weidhaas, MD

"We looked for the effects of genetic variations within a human oncogene known to be affected by tiny RNA molecules, called microRNAs,” said Slack. These variations called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) predicted a significant increase in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) risk in non-smokers as well as people with a moderate smoking history.