The hydrogen peroxide in cigarette smoke causes cells in the lungs to become cancerous, according to new research from the University of California at Davis.

HealthDay News reported Feb. 28 that lead author Tzipora Goldkorn and colleagues found that airway cells exposed to hydrogen peroxide showed the same kinds of abnormal molecular signs of cancer development as those exposed to cigarette smoke.

"With the five-year survival rate for people with lung cancer at a dismally low 15.5 percent, we hope this study will provide better insight into the identification of new therapeutic targets," said Goldkorn. The authors also said that the findings could aid in the development of less-hazardous cigarettes.

The research was published in the March 2008 issue of the FASEB Journal, the official journal of the Federation of American Society for Experimental Biology.