ABSTRACT
In industrialized countries, lung cancer is the first cause of death by malignant disease in men and women. Its frequency is continuously increasing, essentially in women, following the smoking prevalence. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common causes of death in the United States and in Europe (1). COPD and lung cancer have in common the deleterious impact of smoking on their occurrence. At the exception of some predisposing genetic abnormalities, smoking is the principal etiological factor for COPD. Nearly 90-95% of lung cancer in men and 60% in women are associated with tobacco consumption. Nevertheless, the relationship between COPD and lung cancer remains controversial.
