title: Tuberculosis and lung cancer. An interesting case study.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Experimental Medicine Institute-CNR, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mariani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bocchino
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cappelli
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Persechini
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Colizzi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bonanno
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ponticiello
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sanduzzi
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase