Periodontal Disease and Tooth Loss Are Associated with Lung Cancer Risk

Background. The associations between periodontal disease, tooth loss, and lung cancer risk remain debatable. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to evaluate whether periodontal disease and tooth loss are associated with lung cancer risk. Methods. A literature search was performed for relevant studies using PubMed and Embase databases. Risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was applied as effect size to summarize the associations between periodontal disease, tooth loss, and lung cancer risk. A further dose-response analysis was also performed. Results. A total of twelve studies comprising 263,238 participants were included. The results indicated that periodontal disease was positively associated with lung cancer risk (RR=1.37, 95%CI=1.16‐1.63). There was a positive association between tooth loss and lung cancer risk (RR=1.69, 95%CI=1.46‐1.96). Moreover, there was a significantly linear dose-response relationship between tooth loss and lung cancer risk, and every 5 increment in tooth loss was associated with 10% increased lung cancer risk. Similar results were obtained in subgroup analysis. Conclusions. Periodontal disease and tooth loss are increased risk factors for lung cancer. Prevention and treatment of periodontal disease may be effective potential prevention strategies for lung cancer.

Progress in Research on the Role of Flavonoids in Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Therefore, for the prevention, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of lung cancer, efficient preventive strategies and new therapeutic strategies are needed to face these challenges. Natural bioactive compounds and particular flavonoids compounds have been proven to have an important role in lung cancer prevention and of particular interest is the dose used for these studies, to underline the molecular effects and mechanisms at a physiological concentration. The purpose of this review was to summarize the current state of knowledge regarding relevant molecular mechanisms involved in the pharmacological effects, with a special focus on the anti-cancer role, by regulating the coding and non-coding genes. Furthermore, this review focused on the most commonly altered and most clinically relevant oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes and microRNAs in lung cancer. Particular attention was given to the biological effect in tandem with conventional therapy, emphasizing the role in the regulation of drug resistance related mechanisms.