LungBlog

Tuberculosis is an important risk factor for lung cancer in rural China, according to study findings published in the March issue of the International Journal of Cancer.”Tobacco and indoor air pollution from smoky coal are major causes of lung cancer in rural Xuanwei County, China,” Dr. Eric A. Engels, of the National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, and colleagues write. “It has been proposed that tuberculosis may increase the risk of lung cancer, because of lung inflammation and fibrosis that could induce genetic damage,” they note.