Some of the glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are polymorphic and may play a role in lung cancer susceptibility. Our previous study in a French Caucasian study population suggested GSTM1 null genotype as a moderate risk factor for lung cancer. Here we extended the study to investigate the potential role of GSTT1 and GSTP1 polymorphisms in susceptibility to lung cancer, either separately or in combination. The study population consisted of 268 controls and 251 cases. Nineteen percent of the controls and 15% of the cases had GSTT1 null genotype. The distribution of GSTP1*A/*A, *A/*B and *B/*B genotypes were 46.9, 45.5 and 7.6% in controls, and 47.8, 40.2 and 12.0% in cases, respectively. No statistically significant effects in the lung cancer risk were observed for the GSTT1 genotypes, but the GSTP1*B/*B genotype posed a 2-fold risk [odds ratio (OR) = 2.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.0-4.1] of this malignancy compared with the GSTP1*A allele containing genotypes; this association was mainly attributable to small cell lung cancer (OR = 3.6, 95% CI 1.3-9.8). The most remarkable risk was seen for the small cell carcinoma among subjects with the GSTP1*B/*B genotype and concurrent lack of the GSTM1 gene (OR = 6.9, 95% CI 1.6-30.2). The deficient genotypes for GSTM1 and GSTP1 seem thus to be important risk modifiers for lung cancer, especially in combination.