Can lung cancer develop from asthma?

Asthma is a common and frequent respiratory disease. Many asthma patients have such concerns: Will asthma develop into lung cancer?

In fact, researchers have spent 30 years tracking more than 90,000 patients who were hospitalized for asthma and had no symptoms of lung cancer. The average investigation time was 8 and a half years. The survey results showed that among these more than 90,000 asthma patients, 713 people developed lung cancer, and their lung cancer incidence rate was 58% higher than that of ordinary people. Among them, the incidence rate of lung cancer in female asthma patients was 78% higher than that of the general population, and the incidence rate of lung cancer in male asthma patients was 51% higher than that of the general population.

Researchers said that although it is not yet certain that lung cancer can develop from asthma, the two may have a common pathogenesis, that is, the chronic inflammation that triggers asthma can cause patients to produce too many free radicals. Free radicals are highly active atoms or groups of atoms in the human body that can oxidize other substances in the human body. It can not only destroy genetic material, but also promote the formation and development of cancer.

In addition, lung cancer and asthma share common external triggers, such as smoking. Currently, researchers are conducting follow-up surveys on young asthma patients, especially young asthma patients who smoke, in the hope of further revealing whether the incidence of lung cancer is related to asthma.