Impact of Long-Acting Beta-Agonists on Progressive Risk of Lung Cancer in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary...

Chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) is a common comorbid disease in lung cancer causing disability. A long-acting β2-agonist (LABA) is commonly given to patients with moderate to very severe COPD. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between LABA treatment and the risk of lung cancer in patients with COPD using a national representative database.

We conducted the analyses using the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database. Patients with at least two outpatient visits or one hospitalization due to COPD diagnosis (ICD-9-CM: 491, 492, 494, 496) from 1997 to 2012 were identified. Patients in the LABA cohort had regularly used LABA during the study period, while the non-LABA cohort was those without receiving LABA treatment. A 1:2 propensity score matching by COPD diagnosis year, index year, sex, age, occupation, comorbidities, and medication usage was applied.

A total of 3924 patients with COPD were enrolled in the study, 1308 patients with regular LABA treatment and 2616 patients without LABA treatment. Approximately half of the study subjects were male (54.8%), with a mean age of 63.1 years. Those with LABA treatment who were male (aHR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.09-4.22) had an increased risk of lung cancer.

This study indicated that LABA treatment in patients with COPD was associated with lung cancer in older men; those with high cumulative daily doses.