You are here

Article Text

Article menu
Download PDFPDF
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
COPD increases the risk of squamous histological subtype in smokers who develop non-small cell lung carcinoma
  1. A Papi1,
  2. G Casoni1,
  3. G Caramori1,
  4. I Guzzinati1,
  5. P Boschetto2,
  6. F Ravenna1,
  7. N Calia1,
  8. S Petruzzelli3,
  9. L Corbetta3,
  10. G Cavallesco4,
  11. E Forini5,
  12. M Saetta6,
  13. A Ciaccia1,
  14. L M Fabbri1,3
  1. 1Research Centre on Asthma and COPD, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
  2. 2Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Occupational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
  3. 3Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Section of Respiratory Diseases, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
  4. 4Thoracic Surgery Department, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
  5. 5Department of Medical Statistics, University Hospital of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
  6. 6Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Respiratory Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
  1. Correspondence to:
    Dr A Papi
    Research Centre on Asthma and COPD, University of Ferrara, Via Savonarola 9, 44100 Ferrara, Italy; ppaunife.it

Abstract

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma has a stronger association with tobacco smoking than other non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). A study was undertaken to determine whether chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a risk factor for the squamous cell carcinoma histological subtype in smokers with surgically resectable NSCLC.

Methods: Using a case-control design, subjects with a surgically confirmed diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma were enrolled from smokers undergoing lung resection for NSCLC in the District Hospital of Ferrara, Italy. Control subjects were smokers who underwent lung resection for NSCLC in the same hospital and had a surgically confirmed diagnosis of NSCLC of any histological type other than squamous cell.

Results: Eighty six cases and 54 controls (mainly adenocarcinoma, n = 50) were enrolled. The presence of COPD was found to increase the risk for the squamous cell histological subtype by more than four times. Conversely, the presence of chronic bronchitis was found to decrease the risk for this histological subtype by more than four times. Among patients with chronic bronchitis (n = 77), those with COPD had a 3.5 times higher risk of having the squamous cell histological subtype.

Conclusions: These data suggest that, among smokers with surgically resectable NSCLC, COPD is a risk factor for the squamous cell histological subtype and chronic bronchitis, particularly when not associated with COPD, is a risk factor for the adenocarcinoma histological subtype.

  • non-small cell lung cancer
  • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • lung cancer
  • squamous cell cancer
  • smoking

https://doi.org/10.1136/thx.2003.018291

Statistics from Altmetric.com

    Request Permissions

    If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.

    View Full Text

    Footnotes

    • Supported in part by a grant from the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy and from the Associazione Studio Tumori and Malattie Polmonari, Padova, Italy.

    Linked Articles

    • airwaves
      Airwaves
      Wisia Wedzicha
      Thorax 2004; 59 637-637 Published Online First: 28 Jul 2004.