Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Paving the Way to Lung Cancer

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the frequently fatal pathology of the respiratory tract, accounts for half a billion cases globally. COPD manifests via chronic inflammatory response to irritants, frequently to tobacco smoke. The progression of COPD from early onset to advanced disease leads to the loss of the alveolar wall, pulmonary hypertension, and fibrosis of the respiratory epithelium. Here, we focus on the epidemiology, progression, and biomarkers of COPD with a particular connection to lung cancer. Dissecting the cellular and molecular players in the progression of the disease, we aim to shed light on the role of smoking, which is responsible for the disease, or at least for the more severe symptoms and worse patient outcomes. We summarize the inflammatory conditions, as well as the role of EMT and fibroblasts in establishing a cancer-prone microenvironment, i.e., the soil for ‘COPD-derived’ lung cancer. We highlight that the major health problem of COPD can be alleviated via smoking cessation, early diagnosis, and abandonment of the usage of biomass fuels on a global basis.

Quantitative Evaluation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Risk Prediction of Acute Exacerbation by High-Resolution Computed Tomography

“…Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as a life-threatening pathology of the lung, is defined as a clinical syndrome characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms, structural pulmonary abnormalities, lung function impairment, or any combination of these [ 1 ]. With a world prevalence of 10.1%, COPD will rise from the sixth to the third cause of death in the world in 2020, which will further lead to 4.4 million death yearly by 2040 [ 2 , 3 ].…”

Reactive Oxygen Species and Antioxidative Defense in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

“…Various studies on the development of new therapies for COPD and public health approaches are ongoing; however, no radical cure has been found thus far. Furthermore, the complications and quality of life associated with COPD have not been sufficiently improved, and >3 million people die from COPD each year [3,4].…”

Analysis of the Single-Cell Heterogeneity of Adenocarcinoma Cell Lines and the Investigation of Intratumor Heterogeneity Reveals the Expression of Transmembrane Protein 45A (TMEM45A) in Lung Adenocarcinoma Cancer Patients

“…The heterogeneity of LC among patients, such as intertumoral or intralesional heterogeneity, was discovered quite early by pathologists, and these morphological types are small cell lung carcinoma (15% of all LC) and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC, 85% of all LC). NSCLC, in the traditional histologic classification, includes adenocarcinoma (40% of all LC), squamous cell carcinoma (30–35% of all LC), and pulmonary large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (3–5% of all LC) [ 2 ]. Our study is focused on NSCLC patients that had a poor prognosis of approximately 15–20% five-year overall survival [ 3 ].…”