Abstract
Although the therapeutic effect of mycobacteria as antitumor agents has been known for decades, recent epidemiological and experimental studies have revealed that mycobacterium-related chronic inflammation may be a possible mechanism of cancer pathogenesis. Mycobacterium tuberculosis and non-tuberculous Mycobacterium avium complex infections have been implicated as potentially contributing to the etiology of lung cancer, whereas Mycobacterium ulcerans has been correlated with skin carcinogenesis. The risk of tumor development with chronic mycobacterial infections is thought to be a result of many host effector mechanisms acting at different stages of oncogenesis. In this paper, we focus on the nature of the relationship between mycobacteria and cancer, describing the clinical significance of mycobacteria-based cancer therapy as well as epidemiological evidence on the contribution of chronic mycobacterial infections to the increased lung cancer risk.
Highlights
Lung cancer and tuberculosis (TB) cause millions of deaths worldwide each year. 150 years have passed since the identification of the etiological agent of TB—Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb)—it is not fully understood that chronic inflammation can lead to the development of neoplastic processes
It is believed that this scenario may apply to pathogenic tubercle bacilli, the presence of which may stimulate the development of lung cancer
The authors observed that in addition to DNA-damaging reactive oxygen and nitrogen intermediates, M.tb-infected macrophages within TB lung lesions produced epiregulin, a protein belonging to the epidermal growth factor family, which may participate in the initiation and promotion of lung tumorigenesis
Summary
Lung cancer and tuberculosis (TB) cause millions of deaths worldwide each year. 150 years have passed since the identification of the etiological agent of TB—. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb)—it is not fully understood that chronic inflammation can lead to the development of neoplastic processes. It is believed that this scenario may apply to pathogenic tubercle bacilli, the presence of which may stimulate the development of lung cancer. Mycobacterium bovis BCG (Bacillus Calmette–Guérin)—has been used for decades in the treatment of bladder cancer. These facts indicate the dual nature of the mycobacteria. The mycobacterial participation in neoplastic (lung cancer) and anticancer mechanisms is described
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