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Review
. 2019 Oct;11(Suppl 17):S2155-S2172.
doi: 10.21037/jtd.2019.10.54.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer: common pathways for pathogenesis

Brielle A Parris  1 , Hannah E O'Farrell  1 , Kwun M Fong  1   2 , Ian A Yang  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer: common pathways for pathogenesis

Brielle A Parris et al. J Thorac Dis. 2019 Oct.

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer comprise the leading causes of lung disease-related mortality worldwide. Exposure to tobacco smoke is a mutual aetiology underlying the two diseases, accounting for almost 90% of cases. There is accumulating evidence supporting the role of immune dysfunction, the lung microbiome, extracellular vesicles and underlying genetic susceptibility in the development of COPD and lung cancer. Further, epigenetic factors, involving DNA methylation and microRNA expression, have been implicated in both diseases. Chronic inflammation is a key feature of COPD and could be a potential driver of lung cancer development. Using next generation technologies, further studies investigating the genomics, epigenetics and gene-environment interaction in key molecular pathways will continue to elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms underlying the development of COPD and lung cancer, and contribute to the development of novel diagnostic and prognostic tools for early intervention and personalised therapeutic strategies.

Keywords: Pulmonary disease; chronic obstructive; lung neoplasms.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Genetic & epigenetic influences that can lead to COPD and lung cancer development. COPD and lung cancer, while distinct diseases, share similar pathogenic mechanisms, including EMT, inflammation, oxidative stress and DNA damage. Novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies currently under investigation include: extracellular vesicles, which are formed inside MVB, which then fuse the plasma membrane to release bioactive cargo into the extracellular space; volatile organic compounds, which can be detected in patients breath, also holds diagnostic potential for lung diseases through the identification of unique signatures. COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; EMT, epithelial-mesenchymal transition; MVB, multivesicular bodies; VOCs, volatile organic compounds; EVs, extracellular vesicles.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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