Title: Lung Cancer in Non-Smokers
Headings: Lung Cancer in Non-Smokers
Lung Cancer in Non-Smokers
Demographics of never-smokers
Early detection can save lives
Risk factors for lung cancer in non-smokers
Radon gas
Secondhand smoke
Air pollution
Workplace carcinogens
Genetic mutations
Differences in lung tumors in non-smokers
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Content: Exposure to radon increases a person’s risk of developing lung cancer, and radon exposure is estimated to be the second-leading cause of lung cancer. 2,5
Secondhand smoke
Nonsmokers are 20-30 percent more likely to develop lung cancer if they are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or at work. Secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), includes both the smoke exhaled from a smoker and the smoke from a lighted cigarette, pipe, cigar or hookah. 2,5
Air pollution
Air pollution has long been considered to be a health risk and to increase the risk for lung cancer. The effect of low levels of air pollution exposure over time are difficult to measure, but some studies have shown that people who live in urban areas have a 10-40 percent increase in lung cancer deaths than those in rural areas. 6
Workplace carcinogens
Carcinogens are substances that are known to cause cancer or increase the risk of developing cancer. Lung cancer can be caused due to exposures to carcinogens in the workplace, including asbestos, uranium, and coke from iron manufacturing. 5
Genetic mutations
There is a genetic component to the development of lung cancer, as the incidence of lung cancer is greater in those with a family history of the disease, with or without smoking or exposure to environmental carcinogens. One meta-analysis (assessment of multiple studies to combine data) that leveraged data from 32 studies demonstrated a 2-fold increased risk for lung cancer in people with a family history of the disease. 6
Differences in lung tumors in non-smokers
Clinical studies have proven that lung tumors in non-smokers are often different at a molecular level (specific mutations or changes in the cancer cells) and respond differently to targeted therapy than lung cancers in smokers.