The Study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Iranian Patients With Lung Cancer

Mycobacterium tuberculosis has the ability to invade type II alveolar epithelial cells. As a result, the associations between invasion of alveolar epithelial cells and pathogenesis of lung infection seem strong. The current study aimed to evaluate the presence of M. tuberculosis in patients with lung cancer. Patients and This cross-sectional study was performed on samples collected from 380 patients with lung cancer who referred to two state-run hospitals in Mashhad, Iran. Microscopic and cultural methods were utilized to assess the presence of M. tuberculosis in the patients` specimens. The subjects included 252 (66.3%) males and 128 (33.7%) females. Based on cultural and microscopic methods, M. tuberculosis infection was observed in twenty six (6.8%) of cases. Results of the current study showed the high prevalence of M. tuberculosis among the patients with lung cancer; therefore, it seems that continuous surveillance is essential to monitor the M. tuberculosis in the patients with lung cancer.