ABSTRACT
The ratio of trans-3’-hydroxicotinine (3’-OH) to cotinine (COT) is referred to as the Nicotine Metabolite Ratio (NMR). Faster metabolisers of nicotine increase the risk of lung cancer. The aim of this study was to identify the association between the urinary NMR and lung cancer patients. Consecutive sampling and case-control study were applied. All of the samples were men and were either smokers or ex-smokers. We investigated NMR by using the Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) technique. Statistical analysis was performed by chi-squared analysis using SPSS. This study involved 46 samples, consisting of 23 cases of lung cancer and 23 healthy controls. There was a significant association between urinary NMR levels and lung cancer incidence (p = 0.00). Fast metabolisers were 0.115 times more susceptible to lung cancer incidence than the slow metab- oliser group (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.03-0.5). There was a significant association between urinary NMR levels with lung cancer incidence among smokers.
