嚴重的病毒感染會增加罹患肺癌的風險嗎？
Do severe viral infections increase lung cancer risk?
新研究指出，嚴重的呼吸道感染，如需住院的COVID-19或流感，可能會增加長期罹患肺癌的風險。
New research suggests that severe respiratory infections, such as COVID-19 or influenza requiring hospitalization, may increase the long-term risk of lung cancer.
當感染嚴重時，它可能會重新編程免疫環境，營造出有利於腫瘤生長的狀況。
When an infection is severe, it can reprogram the immune landscape, creating an environment that favors tumor growth.
具體而言，它會誘發促腫瘤免疫細胞的積聚，並改變肺部上皮細胞，使其在數月或數年內處於脆弱狀態。
Specifically, it triggers the accumulation of pro-tumor immune cells and alters lung epithelial cells, leaving them in a vulnerable state for months or years.
研究甚至指出，曾因重症COVID-19住院的患者，其肺癌診斷率可能增加了24%，這與抽菸史無關。
Studies have even noted a potential 24% increase in lung cancer diagnoses among those previously hospitalized for severe COVID-19, regardless of smoking history.
疫苗接種發揮了關鍵作用，透過訓練免疫系統以效率地對抗病毒，從而預防導致這種危險「免疫疤痕」的嚴重疾病。
Vaccination plays a critical role by training the immune system to fight viruses effectively, thereby preventing the severe illness that leads to this harmful "immune scarring."
對於已從重症肺炎中康復的患者，醫生建議進行更密切的監測，並可能提早進行癌症篩檢。
For those who have recovered from severe pneumonia, doctors recommend closer monitoring and potentially earlier cancer screenings.
歸根究底，優先考量疫苗接種以及患病後的細心追蹤是保護長期肺部健康，以對抗這些未預料的生物學後果的必要步驟。
Ultimately, prioritizing vaccination and attentive post-illness follow-up are essential steps in protecting long-term lung health against these unforeseen biological consequences.
