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Inflammatory diseases and risk of lung cancer among individuals who have never smoked

Author

Listed:
  • Monica E. D’Arcy

    (National Cancer Institute
    Rutgers Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Sciences
    Rutgers Cancer Institute)

  • Ruth M. Pfeiffer

    (National Cancer Institute)

  • Marie C. Bradley

    (National Cancer Institute)

  • Phuc H. Hoang

    (National Cancer Institute)

  • Thi-Van-Trinh Tran

    (National Cancer Institute)

  • John P. McElderry

    (National Cancer Institute)

  • Mengying Li

    (National Cancer Institute)

  • Michael Kebede

    (University of North Carolina)

  • Curt T. DellaValle

    (National Cancer Institute)

  • Sara Rivas

    (National Cancer Institute)

  • Youjin Wang

    (National Cancer Institute)

  • Shahinaz M. Gadalla

    (National Cancer Institute)

  • Maria Teresa Landi

    (National Cancer Institute)

Abstract

Lung cancer in never-smokers (LCINS) is a leading cause of cancer death globally, but no screening programs for LCINS exist. To identify medical conditions that could serve as markers of LCINS risk, we conducted a nested case-control study within the United Kingdom’s Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD-GOLD), consisting of 1581 LCINS cases and 14,318 never-smoking controls. Conditions significantly associated with LCINS 1-10 years before the index date were validated in an independent dataset, CPRD-Aurum (2188 LCINS cases, 19,597 never-smoking controls). These conditions include Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease/Emphysema (COPD); gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); bronchitis and tracheitis; diabetes mellitus type 1; and gastritis and non-infective gastroenteritis and colitis. Adjusting for medication use only slightly attenuated these associations. Overall, inflammatory diseases appear to be important in LCINS pathogenesis although further studies need to confirm these associations. Conditions such as GERD or COPD could be considered as part of eligibility criteria for future LCINS screening programs.

Suggested Citation

  • Monica E. D’Arcy & Ruth M. Pfeiffer & Marie C. Bradley & Phuc H. Hoang & Thi-Van-Trinh Tran & John P. McElderry & Mengying Li & Michael Kebede & Curt T. DellaValle & Sara Rivas & Youjin Wang & Shahina, 2025. "Inflammatory diseases and risk of lung cancer among individuals who have never smoked," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-56803-z
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56803-z
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