<総説>喫煙と肺癌

Abstract

The hypothesis that by smoking the lungs inhale carcinogens contained in the cigarette smoke and develop lung cancer has been validated by animal experiments. In addition, smoking is highly likely to suppress immunological competence systemically or regionally in the lungs, resulting in impaired immunological surveillance, which enhances cancerization further. Since patients with lung cancer have shown decreased immunological competence, it has been considered that smoking induces immunological hypofunction, leading to the generation of lung cancer. The influence of smoking on immunological function and the relationship between smoking and lung cancer were summarized by reviewing reports on the relations of smoking to the immunoglobulins, lymphocyte count, lymphocyte subsets, NK cells and NK activity of the peripheral blood of lung cancer patients, and reports on the humoral and cellular immunity in the broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF).