Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Chest Diseases and Tuberculosis

Background: Bronchogenic carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies in the world. It is commonly related to smoking. The number of smokers is increasing worldwide and in Egypt. Many types of smoke are implicated including cigarette and shisha smoking. Phase II enzymes as Glutathione-S- transferase class (Mu) are suggested to play an important role in protection against cellular damage caused by carcinogens, by regulation of the conjugation of a wide range of xenobiotics for excrection of hydrophilic compounds. It was suggested that GSTM1 null variant may increase the genomic damage when individuals are exposed to smoke carcinogens. GSTM1 null variant located on chromosome 1p13.3, has received the most attention and has been associated with marginal effect on genetic susceptibility of tobacco-related cancers. Bronchogenic carcinoma is usually diagnosed late in the course of the disease, so genetic predisposition may be helpful for early detection of the disease. Objective: This study was performed to evaluate the role of isoenzyme Glutathione-S-Transferase class Mu as a risk for lung cancer and as an early predictor for malignancy. Subjects and Methods: This study was conducted on 20 patients with lung cancer and 20 healthy volunteers. Reults: GSTM1 was found in 66.7% of small cell lung cancer patients (SCLC), 52.9 % of non-small cell lung cancer patients (NSCLC) and 30% of the controls. Conclusion: According to our findings, GSTM1 is not considered as a marker for early detection of lung cancer with no significant difference in its presence or absence among cases and controls

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