@article{Alexandrov2016, abstract = {Assessing smoke damage in cancer genomes We have known for over 60 years that smoking tobacco is one of the most avoidable risk factors for cancer. Yet the detailed mechanisms by which tobacco smoke damages the genome and creates the mutations that ultimately cause cancer are still not fully understood. Alexandrov et al. examined mutational signatures and DNA methylation changes in over 5000 genome sequences from 17 different cancer types linked to smoking (see the Perspective by Pfeifer). They found a complex pattern of mutational signatures. Only cancers originating in tissues directly exposed to smoke showed a signature characteristic of the known tobacco carcinogen benzo[ a ]pyrene. One mysterious signature was shared by all smoking-associated cancers but is of unknown origin. Smoking had only a modest effect on DNA methylation. Science , this issue p. 618 ; see also p. 549 }, author = {Alexandrov, Ludmil B. and Ju, Young Seok and Haase, Kerstin and Van Loo, Peter and Martincorena, Inigo and Nik-Zainal, Serena and Totoki, Yasushi and Fujimoto, Akihiro and Nakagawa, Hidewaki and Shibata, Tatsuhiro and Campbell, Peter J. and Vineis, Paolo and Phillips, David H. and Stratton, Michael R.}, doi = {10.1126/science.aag0299}, journal = {Science}, month = {nov}, pages = {618-622}, title = {Mutational signatures associated with tobacco smoking in human cancer}, url = {http://science.sciencemag.org/content/354/6312/618.full.pdf}, volume = {354}, year = {2016} }