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 …

There has been limited evidence for the association between chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD) and the incidence of lung cancer among never smokers. We aimed to
estimate the risk of lung cancer incidence in never smokers with COPD, and to compare it
with the risk associated with smoking. This cohort study involved 338 548 subjects, 40 to 84
years of age with no history of lung cancer at baseline, enrolled in the National Health
Insurance Service National Sample Cohort. During 2 355 005 person-years of follow-up …