Patients with a history of tuberculosis have an increased risk of lung cancer, according to a Chinese study reported in the January issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.
The authors of the study also emphasize that the relationship between the two diseases has yet to be confirmed.
Scientists from the Chinese Medical University in Taiwan analyzed data collected from nearly 717. patients aged 20 and over who were covered by state health insurance. About 4,5 thousand of them were diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1998-2000, and the vast majority – i.e. over 712 did not go through this disease. At the start of the study, all people who had ever been diagnosed with cancer were excluded.
The health of both groups was followed for eight years or more.
The analysis showed that tuberculosis patients were almost 11 times more likely to develop lung cancer than those without the disease. The mortality rate was also significantly higher (more than 8 times) among tuberculosis patients.
Smoking is the major cause of lung cancer. On the other hand, less attention is paid to tuberculosis as a risk factor for this cancer – comments one of the researchers, Dr. Chih-Yi Chen. In his opinion, the likelihood of developing lung cancer may increase up to 16 times if a patient with tuberculosis also suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a condition also related to smoking and gradually leading to respiratory failure.
The authors of the study believe that the organizers of TB campaigns should also pay attention to the problem of lung cancer prevention.
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria – Mycobacterium tuberculosis. According to WHO data, 2009 million people worldwide died from tuberculosis in 1,7. Over 80 percent cases of this disease are found in poor countries in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, as tuberculosis develops mainly in malnourished and immunocompromised people.
The available vaccine does not provide protection against pulmonary tuberculosis, but it can protect against the most dangerous forms of the disease, such as tuberculous meningitis or systemic tuberculosis infection. (PAP)