Abstract:
We read Paul Brennan and colleagues’1 Review of the genetics of lung cancer susceptibility with interest. However, we were surprised that the Review included little reference to recent evidence suggesting that genes for lung cancer overlap with those for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is the most important risk factor for lung cancer in smokers, and predates lung cancer in up to 70–80% of cases (fi gure).2,3 COPD is characterised by a reduced forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1).A low expiratory volume is a highly heritable trait that increases the risk of lung cancer in smokers by six times compared with those with normal lung function.2 In view of these observations, genetic factors underlying COPD could be related to lung cancer susceptibility.3