Investigation of Risk Factors in Lung Cancer – Pulmonary Tuberculosis Comorbidity

Abstract BACKGROUND: Lung cancer (LC) and pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) often occur simultaneously and pose significant clinical challenges. This study investigated the common risk factors and mechanisms underlying this comorbidity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, data from 1275 patients at Masih Daneshvari Hospital were reviewed between 2011 and 2024. Of these, 38 patients had LC-PTB comorbidity and 1237 patients had LC without mycobacterial infection. Data on demographic characteristics, smoking status, tumor type, and disease stage were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age was 58.46 years, with 72.94% males and 54.51% of smokers. Adenocarcinoma (26.12%) and squamous-cell carcinoma (21.73%) were the most common tumor types, and stage IV disease was predominant (80.94%). No significant differences were observed in tumor characteristics or disease stage between the LC-PTB and LC-only groups ( P > 0.05). Smoking correlated with older age ( P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study identifies key characteristics of LC-PTB comorbidity, highlighting a high proportion of advanced-stage diagnoses and the absence of significant differences in tumor characteristics between LC-PTB and LC-only patients within this cohort. These findings underscore the need for heightened surveillance and screening protocols in individuals with a history of TB to enable earlier detection of LC. Further research, employing multi-center data and advanced molecular techniques, is essential to elucidate the underlying mechanisms driving this comorbidity and to develop targeted diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, ultimately improving patient outcomes.