Tuberculosis and lung cancer. An interesting case study.
This report describes the case of a patient with lung cancer who completely recovered when he was suffering from tuberculosis. Since bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) has beneficial effects in certain types of cancer, it was hypothesized that infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis induced an effective response against the tumour. M. tuberculosis-infected blood T-lymphocytes of the patient were cultured with two lung tumour cell lines. T-lymphocytes in vitro remained attached to tumour cells that appeared reduced in number. Moreover, M. tuberculosis isolated from the patient was a strong inducer, in infected macrophages, of the expression of the inducible form of the nitric oxide synthase, that may regulate cytotoxic activity of human macrophages.
Mariani
F
F
Experimental Medicine Institute-CNR, Rome, Italy.
Bocchino
M
M
Cappelli
G
G
Persechini
T
T
Colizzi
V
V
Bonanno
E
E
Ponticiello
A
A
Sanduzzi
A
A
D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase