Mutational signatures in oral cancer indicate a complex role for tobacco smoke carcinogens

Abstract

A recent publication by Alexandrov et al in Science (Alexandrov et al, 2016) presents a new approach to study the genomic changes in cancers associated with tobacco smoking. The genomic analyses, undertaken with a background of epidemiologic and clinical studies, indicate that tobacco smoking causes distinct mutations across the genome that are recognizable collectively as mutational signatures. By studying a range of cancer types that vary in the strength of association with tobacco smoking, including oral cavity cancer, the authors demonstrate the complex roles of tobacco smoke carcinogens in the mutational processes that lead to cancer.

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