How smoking sets the stage for lung cancer, glimpsed in new study
Chronic smoke exposure alters lung stem cells and weakens their safety mechanisms and local immune defences, creating a precancerous state; common KRAS and TP53 mutations triggered tumours only in smoke-conditioned tissue, showing how smoking primes cells for cancer
· 11/2/2026, 5:20:11 PM· 2 min read

Chronic smoke exposure alters lung stem cells and weakens their safety mechanisms and local immune defences, creating a precancerous state; common KRAS and TP53 mutations triggered tumours only in smoke-conditioned tissue, showing how smoking primes cells for cancer
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