The nicotine gene that makes millions yearn for a cigarette and make some more likely to die

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Can't resist a smoke? It's in the genes

They have discovered a genetic mutation that makes some smokers more likely to become hooked on cigarettes.

It also makes some more likely to die from lung cancer.

Those who inherit the mutation from both parents are said to have an 80 per cent greater chance of developing lung cancer than those without it.

The discovery could explain why some chainsmokers never get cancer and why others can have the occasional cigarette without becoming addicted.

The finding comes from three teams of scientists investigating the links between lung cancer and DNA.

"This is kind of a double whammy gene," said Christopher Amos, a professor of epidemiology at the MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston and author of one of the studies.

"It also makes you more likely to be dependent on smoking and less likely to quit smoking."

The researchers, who report their findings today in the journals Nature and Nature Genetics, looked for genes that increase lung cancer risk in a study of more than 35,000 people in Europe, the U.S. and Canada.

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Each team found a set of genes on chromosome 15 which were more common among lung cancer patients.

The genes control the way that cells in the body handle nicotine.

The scientists disagreed on whether the variations directly increased the risk of lung cancer for smokers ? or whether they indirectly increased the risk by simply making them smoke more.

The studies mostly looked at smokers and ex-smokers ? although two of the studies also examined several hundred nonsmokers.

Smokers who inherit the gene mutation from one parent are a third more likely to develop lung cancer.

This group makes up almost half (45 per cent) of those who took part in the study.

Around one in nine smokers inherit the variants from both parents and have a one in four chance of developing lung cancer ? up to 80 per cent higher than others.

Smokers who do not have the gene mutation are still more than ten times more likely to get lung cancer than non-smokers.

The risk of lung cancer for those who have never smoked is less than 1 per cent.

Dr Lesley Walker, of Cancer Research UK, said: "This research tells us there are some smokers who are even more vulnerable to lung cancer because of their genetic profile.

"The best thing a smoker can do to reduce their risk of lung cancer is to quit."

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