Scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have made a breakthrough in understanding how lung cancer begins.
By creating detailed visual maps of lung tissue at the cellular and molecular levels, they discovered that inflammation might be one of the first drivers of lung cancer.
This means that treating inflammation early could possibly prevent the disease before it even starts.
The study, published in the journal Cancer Cell, was led by Dr. Humam Kadara and Dr. Linghua Wang.
Their team used a new technology called spatial transcriptomics, which allows scientists to see how genes behave in specific areas of tissue samples. In this case, the researchers focused on lung tissue before and during the early stages of cancer development.
Lung cancer is one of the most common and deadly cancers in the world. It often develops silently over many years before being detected, which makes early treatment difficult.
Most patients are diagnosed when the cancer has already advanced, and at that point, treatment options are limited. Understanding how the disease begins could make a huge difference for patients everywhere.
In this study, the researchers collected lung tissue samples from patients at different stages of cancer development. They analyzed 56 human tissue samples, including both precancerous lesions—abnormal areas that could become cancer—and more advanced tumors.
In total, they studied more than 5 million individual cells using their mapping technology. This gave them a clear picture of what was happening in the tissue over time.
The team found that the earliest cells that turn into lung cancer are surrounded by high levels of inflammation. These areas were filled with immune cells and other molecules that are known to trigger inflammatory responses.
When they reduced the activity of a specific inflammatory driver called IL-1B, the number of early cancer cells decreased. This finding suggests that inflammation is not just a side effect of cancer—it could be one of the main causes that helps it start.
Dr. Kadara explained that this discovery could lead to a new kind of early treatment. If doctors can stop inflammation before it damages lung cells, they might be able to stop cancer from forming at all. “Our work paves the way for targeting inflammation to intercept the earliest stages of lung cancer and impact patient lives,” he said.
This research also helps explain why chronic inflammation—caused by smoking, pollution, or long-term infections—has long been linked to lung cancer. When the lungs are constantly irritated, the immune system keeps producing inflammatory signals.
Over time, this can damage healthy cells and create an environment where cancer can grow. By identifying exactly which molecules and cells are involved, the scientists now have a roadmap to develop new drugs or therapies that can block these harmful pathways.
The study also found that these inflammatory patterns were present not only in human samples but also in lab models of lung cancer. This consistency strengthens the idea that inflammation is a key player in how lung cancer begins.
In simple terms, the researchers discovered that lung cancer may start in areas of the lungs that are “hot spots” of inflammation. These regions show early warning signs long before tumors form.
If doctors can identify and target these hot spots, they might be able to stop cancer from developing or catch it at a much earlier, more treatable stage.
The findings also suggest that combining anti-inflammatory treatments with immunotherapy could be an effective way to fight lung cancer early.
Immunotherapy, which helps the body’s immune system recognize and attack cancer cells, has already shown great promise in treating advanced cancers. Adding anti-inflammatory strategies could make these treatments even stronger and more effective at earlier stages.
Overall, this study represents an important step forward in cancer prevention research. By understanding how inflammation drives the earliest stages of lung cancer, scientists can begin to design better ways to stop it before it starts.
More research will be needed to test these findings in larger groups of patients and to develop safe and effective therapies. But the potential impact is enormous. Targeting inflammation could one day become a key tool in preventing lung cancer and saving lives.
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The study is published in Cancer Cell.
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