Association between pulmonary mycobacterium avium complex infection and lung cancer.

Introduction: Patients with lung cancer are sometimes found to have respiratory cultures growing Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC). This study describes the clinical, pathologic, and radiographic -characteristics of individuals who harbor concomitant lung cancer and MAC.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of patients with positive respiratory cultures for MAC (370 men, 475 women) and with newly diagnosed lung cancer (792 men, 840 women) from 1995 to 2010.