---
title: "EGFR T790M germline variant: ancestry and contribution to lung cancer risk in never-smokers"
id: "nature-1-biography-of-an-inherited-lung-cancer-risk-gene"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/nature-1-biography-of-an-inherited-lung-cancer-risk-gene"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Oncology"
source_name: "Nature Medicine"
source_url: "https://www.nature.com/articles/d41591-026-00048-w"
published_at: "2026-09-28T12:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Journal Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# EGFR T790M germline variant: ancestry and contribution to lung cancer risk in never-smokers
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/nature-1-biography-of-an-inherited-lung-cancer-risk-gene
- **Specialty:** [Oncology](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/oncology.md)
- **Primary Source:** Nature Medicine
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41591-026-00048-w)
- **Published At:** 2026-09-28T12:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Journal Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- Researchers analysed data from more than **3 million** people to investigate the inherited EGFR T790M germline mutation. - The study aimed to trace the ancestral history of the **EGFR T790M** variant and to quantify its present contribution to lung cancer risk among people who have never smoked. - Interest in inherited susceptibility is rising as smoking-related lung cancer declines in many regions and the burden of lung cancer in never-smokers becomes more prominent. - Rare germline variants of **EGFR**, and specifically T790M, have been implicated previously in familial lung cancers, but earlier studies were small and lacked statistical power. - The new work uses a population-scale dataset (reported as over 3 million participants) to address prior limitations of sample size and power. - The Nature Medicine Research Highlight summarises the study focus and context but does not provide detailed methods, effect sizes, population breakdowns or specific outcome measures in the report. - Because the source is a research highlight rather than the primary paper, several specifics — including analytical approach, confidence intervals, absolute or relative risk estimates, ancestral origin dates, and clinical recommendations — were not reported in the highlight.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
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[nature](https://www.nature.com/) 2. [nature medicine](https://www.nature.com/nm) 3. [research highlights](https://www.nature.com/nm/articles?type=research-highlight) 4. article * RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT * 28 September 2026 # **Biography of an inherited lung cancer risk gene** Using data from over 3 million people, researchers trace the ancestral history of the _EGFR_ T790M germline mutation and its present contribution to lung cancer risk in those who never smoked. By * [ Karen O’Leary](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41591-026-00048-w#author-0)[0](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41591-026-00048-w#Aff0) 1. Karen O’Leary 1. Karen O’Leary is an Associate Research Analysis Editor with Nature Medicine. 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