Common Mechanisms Linking Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Lung Cancer

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer are linked diseases, with both the incidence of and risk of death from non-small cell lung cancer being increased by the presence of COPD. Despite numerous well-performed epidemiological studies having described this link over the past 30 years, the operative mechanisms remain elusive. One of the major obstacles to advancement in the field has been the lack of patient cohorts that have been phenotyped for both COPD and lung cancer. This review discusses several studies performed over the past few years highlighting the impact of COPD on the outcomes of patients with non-small cell lung cancer with respect to lung cancer screening, immune-based therapies, and lung cancer chemoprevention.