Can bronchitis turn into cancer?

So my mom has had three back surgeries in the past couple years, the last one being in March of this year. It was a huge surgery and is still recovering from it now (end of July). Anyways, her triglycerides after her surgery were 2,300 and the good ones were 23... She has been refered to a lipids doctor and cardiologist to see what is going on. Anyways, she has been a smoker since she was a teenager, about 17 years old, and she is now 46 years old, and she just got diagnosed with bronchitis and possible pneumonia. I guess I'm a little worried about this because I don't want it to turn into lung cancer or anything. Should I be concerned? Is her health at stake?