An overproduced receptor protein that shows up in a subset of lung cancers may offer a target of opportunity for new drugs and a glimmer of hope for some patients, researchers report.
Excess amounts of a protein known as FGFR1, or fibroid growth factor receptor 1, often show up in smokers who develop a hard-to-treat form of lung cancer, suggesting that tobacco smoke exposure damages the gene encoding this protein and steers cells toward cancer in some people.
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