Issues

The pattern of somatic mutations in lung cancers varies among populations, including in Latin America, where lung cancer is the primary cause of cancer death. Using tumor-sequencing data from 601 and 552 patients with lung cancer (43% of whom did not smoke) from Mexico and Colombia, respectively, Carrot-Zhang and colleagues identified relationships between Native American ancestry and several important tumor characteristics. For instance, EGFR mutations, particularly oncogenic ones, were more common in those with higher Native American ancestry. The identified differences in somatic mutation profiles arose from germline variation rather than disparate environmental exposures. This work highlights the importance of the finer details of ancestry in cancer genetics For more information, see the article by Carrot-Zhang and colleagues on page 591.