ReviewAir pollution and genomic instability: The role of particulate matter in lung carcinogenesis

- Air pollution represents a worldwide problem with impact on human health.
- Particulate matter (PM) has a recognized carcinogenic potential in humans.
- Lung cancer susceptibility depends on gene-environment interactions.
- Epidemiological and experimental evidence links PM exposure to genomic instability.
- PM and genomic instability are co-dependent factors during cancer continuum.

In this review, we summarize and discuss the evidence regarding the interaction between air pollution, especially particulate matter (PM), and genomic instability. PM has been widely studied in the context of several diseases, and its role in lung carcinogenesis gained relevance due to an increase in cancer cases for which smoking does not seem to represent the main risk factor. According to epidemiological and toxicological evidence, PM acts as a carcinogenic factor in humans, inducing high rates of genomic alterations. Here, we discuss not only how PM is capable of inducing genomic instability during the carcinogenic process but also how our genetic background influences the response to the sources of damage.

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