Women are more vulnerable to the deadly side effects of smoking than men, a lung cancer study found.
“Our findings suggest that women may have an increased susceptibility to tobacco carcinogens,” said study leader Dr. Martin Frueh, from St Gallen Canton Hospital in Switzerland.
Past studies have indicated that women run a far higher risk of developing lung cancer than men. American scientists found that women are more likely to carry a gene that drives lung cancer growth.
Nicotine appears to trigger the gastrin-releasing peptide receptor gene, which is also more active in women than men.
