Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: risk factors for lung cancer

Takeaway

• A concurrent diagnosis of asthma and the use of inhaled corticosteroids showed an independent association with the risk for lung cancer in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• The risk increased with exposure to acetylsalicylic acid use.

Why this matters

• Study suggests pharmacological treatment may influence the risk of devel­oping lung cancer.

Study design

• Study included 19,894 patients with COPD from Swedish registries.
• Funding: AstraZeneca.

Key results

• 594 patients (3%) were diagnosed with lung cancer.
• Mean age in patients with lung cancer was 68.9 vs 68 years in those without.
• Concur­rent asthma diagnosis (HR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.41-0.71) and use of inhaled corticosteroids (HR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.37-0.73) were associated with lower risk for lung cancer.
• Use of acetylsalicylic acid (HR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.15-2.16) and higher age (HR for per 10 years, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.09-1.28) showed significant association with increased risk for lung cancer.

Limitations

• Smoking status and lung function were not known.