Retinoid Therapy May Help Prevent Lung Cancer in Ex-Smokers

A recent report has found that treatment with 9-cis-retinoic acid (RA) can restore expression of the retinoic acid receptor beta (RAR-beta) in the bronchi of ex-smokers.

Loss of RAR-beta expression occurs in smokers and is thought to be a biomarker of premalignancy. The study’s results suggest that 9-cis-RA therapy could be useful in preventing lung cancer in former smokers.

Results are based on a study that involved 226 former smokers who were randomized to receive a daily dose of 9-cis-RA, 13-cis-RA and alpha-tocopherol (AT) or placebo for 3 months. All patients had a history of smoking for at least 20 years and all had stopped smoking for at least 1 year. The effects were then studied through bronchoscopic biopsies performed at the baseline at 3 months.

The results found that treatment with 9-cis-RA was associated with restoration of RAR-beta expression and a reduction in metaplasia. The researchers concluded that 9-cis-RA treatment can restore RAR-beta expression in the bronchial epithelium of former smokers raising the possibility that this retinoid therapy has potential chemopreventative properties in former smokers.

(Source: Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2003; 95: 178-179, 206-214)