Goats increase the risk of rare lung cancer

According to a study by French scientists at the European Respiratory Association's annual conference in Amsterdam, contact with goats may increase the risk of a rare lung cancer.

The study showed a link between regular exposure to goats and a type of lung cancer called pneumonia-like lung cancer (P-ADC).

Compared to other forms of lung cancer, this type of cancer is not very relevant to smoking. In the past, to identify other causes of the disease, scientists have previously discovered similarities between P-ADC disease and a viral infection that creates tumors in sheep's lungs. With these similarities, the research team focused on finding out whether any viral agents in sheep and goats can easily be transmitted to people who have much contact with these two species, causing They are susceptible to P-ADC disease.

The authors investigated 44 patients with P-ADC disease and 132 controls without the disease. All participants were given questionnaires assessing many risk factors, including smoking status, history of cancer and exposure to goats.

The results showed that people who had regular contact with goats during their lifetime were five times more likely to develop P-ADC disease than other types of lung cancer. In addition, P-ADC is particularly related to women and people who have never smoked or had any history of cancer.

Dr. Nicolas Girard of Louis Pradel Hospital said: 'Scientists have noticed the similarity between P-ADC and a virus that transmitted disease in sheep before. This makes us discover the possibility of contact with livestock that could lead to crickets getting more P-ADC. These findings suggest that exposure to goats may be a risk factor for this type of lung cancer, but more research is needed to assess other potential risks to the cancer. this disease '.