MSGID: 1:317/3 627201a5   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Emphysema severity associated with higher lung cancer risk    
      
     Date:   
         May 3, 2022   
     Source:   
         Radiological Society of North America   
     Summary:   
         CT-detected emphysema is linked to a higher risk of lung cancer,   
         a risk that increases with emphysema severity, according to a   
         new study.   
      
      
      
   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   CT-detected emphysema is linked to a higher risk of lung cancer, a   
   risk that increases with emphysema severity, according to a new study   
   published in the journal Radiology.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Lung cancer is the primary cause of cancer-related death worldwide,   
   with more than 1 million deaths each year since 2000. However, lung   
   cancer risk can be reduced by identifying treatable risk factors, such   
   as chronic lung inflammation, together with smoking, genetics, diet,   
   and occupational exposure.   
      
   Emphysema is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by damage to the   
   alveoli, the tiny air sacs inside the lungs. Symptoms include shortness   
   of breath, coughing with mucus, wheezing and chest tightness. There is   
   no cure, but many treatments are available to help manage symptoms.   
      
   Emphysema shares many common risk factors with lung cancer, the leading   
   cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.   
      
   Cigarette smoking is one of the important shared risk factors of emphysema   
   and lung cancer, as it enhances inflammation, DNA damage and accelerated   
   aging.   
      
   However, people with emphysema who've never smoked also have an increased   
   risk of lung cancer, according to study co-author Marleen Vonder, Ph.D.,   
   from the Department of Epidemiology at University Medical Center Groningen   
   in Groningen, the Netherlands.   
      
   "Other underlying mechanisms like genetic susceptibility, chronic   
   inflammation or DNA damage and abnormal repair mechanisms, or a   
   combination thereof, have been proposed to link emphysema and lung   
   cancer," she said.   
      
   For the new study, Dr. Vonder and colleagues identified studies from   
   three large databases on the association between emphysema and lung   
   cancer. Analysis of 21 studies involving more than 107,000 patients   
   found a connection between visual and quantitative, or measurable,   
   CT assessments of emphysema and lung cancer.   
      
   "Our meta-analysis showed that not only visually assessed but also   
   quantitatively assessed emphysema on CT is associated with lung cancer   
   and that this risk increases for more severe emphysema," Dr. Vonder said.   
      
   While the findings support a link between the two devastating diseases,   
   more research is needed before any changes are made to clinical care,   
   Dr. Vonder said.   
      
   "It is too early to conclude whether the presence of CT-defined emphysema   
   leads to incremental and independent prognostic value over that of   
   already known shared risk factors of emphysema and lung cancer," she said.   
      
   The associations between CT emphysema and lung cancer were higher   
   for categories of visual assessment compared to quantitative   
   assessment. Despite this finding, Dr. Vonder said that quantitative   
   assessment may ultimately gain favor over visual assessment, as it can   
   be fully automated. She and her colleagues are researching this approach   
   and validating its use in specified populations.   
      
   "Potentially, emphysema detected on a baseline CT scan could be used to   
   select high-risk participants who would require more frequent follow-up   
   lung cancer screening," Dr. Vonder said.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by   
   Radiological_Society_of_North_America. Note: Content may be edited for   
   style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Xiaofei Yang, Hendrik Joost Wisselink, Rozemarijn Vliegenthart,   
      Marjolein   
         A. Heuvelmans, Harry J. M. Groen, Marleen Vonder, Monique   
         D. Dorrius, Geertruida H. de Bock. Association between Chest   
         CT-defined Emphysema and Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and   
         Meta-Analysis. Radiology, 2022; DOI: 10.1148/radiol.212904   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220503102847.htm   
      
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