Lung cancer, the most common cause of cancer-related death in men and women, is responsible for 1.3 million deaths worldwide annually. Women are diagnosed to a greater extent than men with adenocarcinoma and small cell carcinoma, both of which are secretory-type tumors. Never smokers diagnosed with lung cancer are also predominantly female, demonstrating the association of genetic factors with lung carcinogenesis. Several epidemiologic studies have associates certain CYP1A1 genotypes, alone or in combination, with an increased risk of estrogen-related cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the CYP and GST polymorphisms along with estrogen and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels on the risk of lung cancer. Eighty-six lung cancer patients and 60 controls were included in the study. A significantly higher frequency of polymorphisms in the genes was observed in lung cancer patients compared to controls. Mean estradiol concentration was reduced and IL-6 levels were elevated in patients compared to controls. In conclusion, increased polymorphisms in metabolic genes may be the reason for the reduced estradiol and, thereby, the increased expression of IL-6 in the serum of lung cancer patients.

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