Distinct Signatures of Lung Cancer Types in Never-Smokers

Lung cancer in never-smokers accounts for 10% to 25% of all lung cancers and is almost always lung adenocarcinoma. Although several studies have catalogued the genomic landscape of lung cancer in smokers, this study is the first to assess a large number of lung cancers in never-smokers.

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute performed whole-genome sequencing on tumors from 232 patients with lung cancer who never smoked. They found three subtypes defined by somatic copy number alterations; these subtypes differ substantially from lung adenocarcinoma in smokers. They termed these subtypes “piano,” “mezzo-forte,” and “forte,” after the musical terms that denote variations in loudness. The “piano” tumors accounted for almost half of the …