A simple test on cells from the mouth could help doctors predict which smokers will develop lung cancer, Reuters reports. In a test group, 95% of subjects with the genetic damage associated with cancer in their lungs had the same damage in their mouths.
A reliable test could spare patients invasive lung biopsies. "We are talking about just a brushing inside of the cheek to get the same information we would from lung brushings obtained through bronchoscopy," said one of the researchers. (More cancer stories.)