Incidence and Risk of Lung Cancer in Tuberculosis Patients, and Vice Versa: A Literature Review of the Last Decade

BACKGROUND: The incidence and risk of both lung cancer (LC) and tuberculosis (TB) are increasing rapidly. These two diseases frequently exist together and can influence the incidence and risk of each other. The aim of the current review was to summarize the incidence and risk of LC in TB patients, and vice versa, short out research gap, and contemplate future research perspectives. Methodology. PubMed and Scopus databases, and Google Scholar search engine were searched for epidemiological studies that investigated the incidence and risk of TB and LC, published since January 2011 to April 2022, and written in English. We used the searching keyword “tuberculosis” combined with “lung cancer” and associated medical subject heading (MeSH) to retrieve eligible research articles. We retrieved information's regarding the diagnosis of TB and LC, confounders, the associations of TB and LC, and incidence and risks of each other. RESULTS: We found higher incidence rate and risks (1.64 to 6 times higher) of LC in TB patients in comparison to non-TB participants. However, the incidence rate and risks of TB in LC patients were comparatively low. Male patients were exhibited higher risks than female. The medical comorbidities, smoking habits, and age can also influence the associations and risks of LC in TB patients or vice versa. CONCLUSION: Our summarized studies might suggest that existing active TB may increase the incidence and risk of LC. However, large prospective cohort study is warranted to explore the real scenario worldwide.