Experimental data concerning the question of the synergic action of the influenza virus and of some chemical carcinogens in the pathogenesis of lung cancer.

The importance of new discoveries in the field of molecular biology concerning the interaction of oncogenic material in cell leading to a synthesis of knowledge in the field of viral and physico-chemical blastomogenesis is underlined. A concise reference to earlier studies and to the present state of knowledge is presented, with a subsequent review of the results of experimental studies dealing with the problem of the synergic action of influenza viruses (type A2, A/PRS, B, Sendai) and of chemical carcinogens (urethane, cancerogenic hydrocarbons, diethylnitrosamines, cigarette smoke) in the pathogenesis of lung cancer. Both the suggested and already demonstrated mechanisms of the joint action of viruses and chemical carcinogens, illustrating the interrelations between the two factors in the process of malignant transformation, are discussed.