The biology of tobacco and nicotine: bench to bedside.
Strong epidemiologic evidence links smoking and cancer. An increased understanding of the molecular biology of tobacco-related cancers could advance progress toward improving smoking cessation and patient management. Knowledge gaps between tobacco addiction, tumorigenesis, and cancer brought an interdisciplinary group of investigators together to discuss "The Biology of Nicotine and Tobacco: Bench to Bedside." Presentations on the signaling pathways and pathogenesis in tobacco-related cancers, mouse models of addiction, imaging and regulation of nicotinic receptors, the genetic basis for tobacco carcinogenesis and development of lung cancer, and molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis were heard. Importantly, new opportunities to use molecular biology to identify and abrogate tobacco-mediated carcinogenesis and to identify high-risk individuals were recognized.
Dennis
Phillip A
PA
Cancer Therapeutics Branch, Laboratory of Metabolism, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20889, USA. wiestj@mail.nih.gov
Van Waes
Carter
C
Gutkind
J Silvio
JS
Kellar
Kenneth J
KJ
Vinson
Charles
C
Mukhin
Alexey G
AG
Spitz
Margaret R
MR
Bailey-Wilson
Joan E
JE
Yeh
Grace Chao
GC
Anderson
Lucy M
LM
Wiest
Jonathan S
JS
D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D008967:Molecular Biology; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics / Q000517:prevention & control; D009538:Nicotine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000187:drug effects*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*
D016328:NF-kappa B; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D009538:Nicotine