Lung Cancer in Never-smokers on the Rise Globally. What is the Reason

 

The rate of cancer in people who have never smoked is constantly increasing. Air pollution is considered a significant factor in this case. The World Health Organization's Cancer Research Agency IARC has reported this information.

According to IARC data, lung cancer in never-smokers is now considered the fifth highest cause of cancer death worldwide.

IARC says that lung cancer in people who have never smoked is mainly adenocarcinoma (a type of lung cancer). Adenocarcinoma is the main one among the four subtypes of lung cancer.

A research report by IARC published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal says that in 2022, about 2 lakh people were exposed to air pollution and developed adenocarcinoma.

The study found that air pollution was more likely to be associated with adenocarcinoma in East Asia, especially China.

The study's lead author, Freddie Bray, head of the IARC's cancer surveillance branch, told the Guardian that the findings suggest that changing patterns of lung cancer risk need to be addressed urgently. He also believes that if smoking is not the main cause of lung cancer, more research is needed to identify other possible causes, such as air pollution.

A significant number of people around the world are affected by lung cancer. In 2022, about 2.5 million people were diagnosed with lung cancer worldwide.

The four main types of lung cancer are adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, small cell carcinoma and large cell carcinoma. The IARC says that adenocarcinoma is the main type in both women and men.

In 2022, 45.6 percent of men and 59.7 percent of women diagnosed with cancer had adenocarcinoma. In 2020, the rate was 39 percent for men and 57.1 percent for women.

The IARC said that 70 percent of people who developed lung cancer who had never smoked had adenocarcinoma.

While the rate of lung cancer in men has declined in most countries over the past 40 years, the trend in women has been steadily increasing.

The majority of people diagnosed with lung cancer are still men (about 1.6 million in 2022). However, the gap between the rates of lung cancer in women and men is narrowing. In 2022, about 900,000 women were diagnosed with lung cancer.

A report published in the Guardian in 2023 said that for the first time in the UK, the number of women diagnosed with lung cancer had exceeded the number of men. At that time, women were advised to be vigilant about lung cancer, just as they were about breast cancer.

Cancer experts say that just as women should get checked out if they feel a lump in their breasts, they should also be alert to the symptoms of lung cancer.

The percentage of people who have never smoked in the world who develop lung cancer is not known. There is only evidence that this trend is increasing. Scientists are trying to find out what other causes of lung cancer are, besides smoking.