Hannah devlin looks at the link between air pollution and lung cancer. The current model for how cancers form in the body doesn't really fit with this, she says. They found that it was essentially the body's inflammatory response to being exposed to pollutans which were releasing a protein called interlucater. And they gave them somehing to block this protein, but still saw an increase in tumours.
According to the World Health Organisation, air pollution causes 7 million premature deaths every year. We’ve known for a long time that air pollution causes lots of health problems, including lung cancer – but exactly how the two were linked was somewhat of mystery. Last week, a team from the Francis Crick Institute and University College London presented findings that shed new light on the role between air pollution and lung cancer. And, in doing so, could make us rethink how cancer develops. Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian’s science correspondent Hannah Devlin about how scientists uncovered this link – and what it might mean for the future of the field.. Help support our independent journalism at
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