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Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Next Generation Sequencing for the Detection of Actionable Mutations in Solid and Liquid Tumors
Published on: September 20, 2016
Genetics and pulmonary medicine. 7. Somatic mutations in the development of lung cancer
Abstract:
Lung cancers exhibit complex heterogeneous karyotypes and to date sequencing the serial somatic mutations which give rise to malignant change has proved difficult. Cigarette smoke causes a field change in the respiratory mucosa with mutations demonstrable even in histologically normal areas. After smoking cessation many of these mutations seem to persist indefinitely so that the risk of an ex-smoker developing lung cancer never reverts to that of a life-long non-smoker. Demonstration of specific somatic mutations in biopsy or sputum samples may eventually provide a useful method of screening for lung cancer. Somatic mutations give useful information about prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer and they are the key to exciting future retroviral and monoclonal antibody mediated therapies.
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