Lung cancer in non-smokers can be caused by exposure to radon secondhand smoke air pollution or other factors. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency EPA radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in this country and is the leading cause among people who dont smoke.
Lung Cancer In Never Smokers A Review Sciencedirect
Its not just smokers who are at risk for lung cancerabout 20 of lung tumors develop in non-smokers.
Causes of lung cancer in nonsmokers. Some 15 to 35 of lung cancers in non-smokers may be caused by secondhand smoke also referred to as passive smoke. Exposure to radon gas is considered to be one of the causes of lung cancer in nonsmokers accounting for about 21000 lung cancer deaths each year. Radon gas a naturally-occurring gas that forms when uranium decays is another known cause of lung cancer.
Although radon occurs naturally in an outdoor environment concentrated levels of. There are two different types. Radon is invisible and doesnt have a smell but it occurs naturally outdoors.
However there is such a vast difference between the two groups that you could. Exposure to radon gas is considered to be the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Preventive Services Task Force does not recommend lung.
Not just those that smoke are at risk of developing lung cancer that is right approximately twenty percent of persons that develop lung tumors do not smoke. The latest data show an incidence rate. Other inflammatory lung conditions such as pulmonary fibrosis may increase the risk of lung cancer in nonsmokers.
But for nonsmokers between the ages of 40 and 79 more women than men are at risk for developing lung cancer. Smoking causes the vast majority of cases and deaths from lung cancer occupation may account for as many as 16700 of such deaths. While most cases of lung cancer are linked to smoking tobacco as many as 20 percent of deaths caused by lung cancer occur in people who do not smoke or use any other form of tobacco approximately 16000 to 24000 Americans every year.
Cancers caused by these mutations may be treated with targeted therapy. Sidestream smoke the more toxic of. Genetics may also play a role in the development of lung cancer in nonsmokers.
An estimated 12 of total lung cancer deaths in both smokers and non-smokers or 15000 to 22000 lung cancer-related deaths annually in the US are believed to be at least partially related to radon gas exposure. Workplace exposures to asbestos diesel exhaust or certain other chemicals can also cause lung cancers in some people who dont smoke. To examine the influence of occupation independent of smoking we reviewed the literature on occupational lung cancer in nonsmokers.
January 23 2021 January 28 2021. Exposure to radon gas is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Secondhand smoke includes smoke exhaled by a smoker and smoke emitted from the lit end of a cigarette pipe or cigar or from tobacco burning in a hookah.
Causes of lung cancer in nonsmokers may include exposure to secondhand smoke air pollution and carcinogens. A Citizens Guide to Radon explains how to test your home for radon easily and inexpensively as well as what to do if your levels are too high. Those who do smoke and are exposed to radon have an even greater risk of.
However there are enough differences between the groups to almost consider them two different diseases says Vincent Lam MD a lung cancer specialist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. 7 Causes Of Lung Cancer In Non-Smokers. By For Seniors Magazine.
A small portion of lung cancers occur in people with no known risk factors for the disease. Is Lung Cancer Screening Recommended for People Who Never Smoked. People with lung cancer who have never smoked may have a DNA mutation such as a mutation in the epidermal growth factor receptor EGFR gene or other genes.