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Regardless of smoking status, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an independent risk factor for developing lung, colorectal, liver and other cancers in the Korean population, according to a study published in BMC Pulmonary Medicine.
Regardless of smoking status, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an independent risk factor for developing lung, colorectal, liver and other cancers in the Korean population, according to a study published in BMC Pulmonary Medicine.
COPD is a leading cause of death in the United States, while the disease is estimated to affect 16 million Americans, and millions more who are unaware they have the condition. Although COPD is a well-known risk factor for lung cancer, “it has not been reported yet whether COPD can be a risk factor for cancers developing outside of the lungs despite the evidence that systemic inflammation is the characteristic feature of COPD,” the researchers wrote.
In a retrospective population-based study, investigators analyzed data from the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC), a single-payer health insurance system in South Korea that covers the entire population.
Over 12 years, data from 6 different cohorts were assessed, including 313,533 never-smokers without COPD, 41,359 former smokers without COPD, 112,627 smokers without COPD, 7789 never-smokers with COPD, 1085 former smokers with COPD, and 2677 smokers with COPD.
The study yielded the following results (P <.01 for all):
“Repeated injury and repair by chronic inflammation and frequent exacerbations in COPD may result in tissue injury and DNA damage, leading to malignant cell transformation and the development of lung cancer,” researchers explained. In addition, clinical evidence has found emphysema and severe airflow obstruction can increase the risk of lung cancer beyond the effect of smoking.
Due to limited information in the NHIS-NSC, the pathologic type of each cancer was not investigated while medication history was also not taken into consideration in the analysis. Environmental factors like air pollution and occupation were also not included.
Authors concluded the findings suggest “multidisciplinary approaches are required for the prevention of lung cancer in COPD patients."
Reference:
Ahn SV, Lee E, Park B, et al. Cancer development in patients with COPD: a retrospective analysis of the national health insurance service-national sample cohort in Korea. BMC Pulm Med. Published online June 15, 2020. doi:10.1186/s12890-020-01194-8