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‹ Tue · 14 Jul 2026
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Genetic architecture of lung cancer revealed by common and rare variant analyses across population-scale biobanks.

Whole genome sequencing reveals rare genetic variations affecting lung cancer risk beyond what earlier genetic methods captured, refining inherited risk assessment.

This landmark multi-biobank WGS study combining UK Biobank, 100,000 Genomes Project, and All of Us data is the largest genetic architecture study of lung cancer to date, identifying novel rare non-coding variant associations that extend beyond what GWAS and exome sequencing capture. The findings establish rare non-coding variation as a meaningful contributor to lung cancer susceptibility and provide a framework for incorporating WGS into lung cancer polygenic risk stratification.

What the study was

Study design
Whole-genome sequencing genetic association study (multi-biobank)
Population
52,550 lung cancer cases and 1,617,173 controls across UK Biobank, 100,000 Genomes Project, and All of Us
Sample size
1669723
Category
Genomics/Precision Medicine
Maturity
Validated
Journal
NPJ precision oncology

Why it surfaced

Largest WGS lung cancer genetic association study (>1.6M controls) extends lung cancer susceptibility beyond GWAS and exome sequencing; rare non-coding variants identified may contribute to polygenic risk score development for lung cancer screening.

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