A novel approach for assessment of cancer predisposing roles of GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes: use of putatively cancer resistant elderly tumor-free smokers as the referents.

We applied an alternative approach to assess the controversial evidence for the role of GSTM1 and GSTT1 deficiencies (null genotypes) in cancer susceptibility. In this study setting, the prevalence of GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes in the lung cancer patients (LCs, n = 167) were compared with those in the group of putatively cancer resistant individuals, i.e.

GSTM1 genotypes in elderly tumour-free smokers and non-smokers.

Cancer is known to be an extremely common disease, with the life-time risks reaching close to 0.5 for men and to 0.4 for women.