doi: 10.5732/cjc.014.10093

Cancers of the lung, head and neck on the rise: perspectives on the genotoxicity of air pollution

Ian Chi Kei Wong, Yuen-Keng Ng, Vivian Wai Yan Lui

Pharmacogenomics and Precision Therapeutics Laboratory, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacy, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.

[Abstract] Outdoor air pollution has been recently classified as a class I human carcinogen by the World Health Organization (WHO). Cumulative evidence from across the globe shows that polluted air is associated with increased risk of lung, head and neck, and nasopharyngeal cancers—all of which affect the upper aerodigestive tract. Importantly, these cancers have been previously linked to smoking. In this article, we review epidemiologic and experimental evidence of the genotoxic and mutagenic effects of air pollution on DNA, purportedly a key mechanism for cancer development. The alarming increase in cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract in Asia suggests a need to focus government efforts and research on reducing air pollution, promoting clean energy, and investigating the carcinogenic effects of air pollution on humans.

Chinese Journal of Cancer 2014, Volume: 33, Issue 10, Page: 476-480

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Ian Chi Kei Wong, Yuen-Keng Ng, Vivian Wai Yan Lui. Cancers of the lung, head and neck on the rise: perspectives on the genotoxicity of air pollution. Chin J Cancer. 2014, 33(10):476-480. doi:10.5732/cjc.014.10093


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