Researchers, who have been working with mice, report that they have got insight into why lung cancer cases are going up in women, as well as in those who do not smoke.

In a fresh study, researchers say that they have been able to find that smoke exposure brings transformations in how genes function in female mice. This, in turn, seems to influence the body's handling of estrogen, which may possibly contribute to lung cancer in women who do not smoke as well as in the ones who do.

Margie Clapper, Co-leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia said that preceding work has recommended that estrogen might be a factor that affects lung cancer, but no one has revealed that smoke can really speed up the metabolism of estrogen inside the lungs.

The study suggests that women who suffer from lung cancer and who are on hormone replacement treatment do worse than women who are not, despite of the case whether they ever smoked or not.

Clappers said that if they can recognize the most basic actions that occur within the lungs when one starts smoking, they may be able to use therapies so as to block them plus lung cancer.