A group of researchers from the World Health Organisation's International Agency (WHO) for Research on Cancer has identified two genes that reportedly increase an individual’s chances of developing certain forms of lung cancer by as much as 60 per cent, according to a study published in Nature Genetics journal.

According to Paul Brennan, a cancer epidemiologist with WHO, certain types of DNA make a person more or less likely to develop certain types of cancer. The discovery of these genes provides the answer to an oft answered question: why do people who have never smoked a cigarette in their life sometimes get diagnosed with lung cancer, whilst many lifelong smokers escape this most dire of consequences.

Two genes in particular, TERT and CRR9, which are located on the fifth chromosome, are believed to increase the chances of lung cancer. All human beings have the TERT gene, but its activities are suppressed until a tumor or growth forms.

When it comes to mesothelioma, asbestos-exposed individuals who carry TERT and CRR9 are more likely to develop pleural mesothelioma.

Researchers say that by studying and understanding these genes it will be easier to develop new cancer fighting therapies.