UC San Diego

Unlike other lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), the relationship between asthma and lung cancer has not been well established. However, our studies conducted in mouse models of asthma suggest that asthma represent a potential risk for lung cancer. The mechanism behind how asthma promotes lung cancer development still needs further study; however, we found that chronic airway inflammation was important for this effect. Furthermore, adaptive immunity was found to not play a significant role in the initiation of lung cancer development but may impact the regulation of the growth of cancer cells. Finally, the consequences of allergic airway inflammation and its impact on lung cancer development are the subject of our current studies in our laboratory.