ABSTRACT:
The role of inflammation and inflammatory microenvironment in the development of cancer was described as early as 1863 by Rudolf Virchow. The host immune system performs constant patrolling in the body for foreign invaders and aberrant cells in order to destroy them, a process generally called as immunosurveillance. Inflammation is a beneficial response activated to help during tissue injury and act against pathogenic agents. However if inflammation is unregulated, it can become chronic inducing malignant cell transformation in the surrounding tissues. Inflammation increase the bioactive molecules in the tumor microenvironment including cytokines, growth factors and chemokines, matrix modifying enzymes such as matrix metalloproteinases and can increase the risk of cancer. Several disease conditions illustrate the link between inflammation and cancer such as endometriosis, chronic prostatitis, chronic gastritis, inflammatory bowel diseases and primary sclerosing cholangitis which eventually leads to one or the other forms of cancer. This article reviews the effects of major inflammatory cytokines which are involved in lung cancer progression.