An alarming rise in lung cancer cases affecting those who do not smoke is being suspected by experts

Daily Mail

They concluded that that as smoking rates decline, examining how lung cancer emerges among people who have never smoked becomes increasingly important.
Firstly, their data was collated from national cancer registries, meaning there may be some inconsistencies in lung cancer diagnoses between different nations.
Their findings come as the UK has seen its own rise in lung cancer cases among young women and girls.
Cancer experts have warned against viewing lung cancer as ‘an old person’s disease’ — as it was previously seen.
Lung cancer kills some 35,000 patients in Britain each year, about four every hour, making it the largest cause of cancer death in the UK.

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A new global study found that lung cancer cases are now more common in patients who have never smoked than in those who have smoked in the past.

International researchers have discovered that adenocarcinoma, a type of lung cancer that develops in the organ lining and is most frequently found in non-smokers, is currently the most prevalent form of the disease.

Squamous cell carcinoma and small-cell carcinoma, which are usually brought on by the carcinogens in cigarettes, like tar, have been surpassed by it.

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The research’s Chinese and French experts think that rising exposure to air pollution may be to blame.

They calculated that air pollution might be responsible for about one-third of the 600,000 adenocarcinoma cases that are diagnosed worldwide each year.

According to the scientists, adenocarcinoma risk could rise by more than 50% with even a minor exposure to pollution from burning fossil fuels and traffic.

According to reports from 2019, 99 percent of people worldwide reside in places with air quality that falls short of WHO standards, the experts added.

They looked at lung cancer trends worldwide and discovered that China, which is well-known for its smog-covered cities, has a notably high risk of adenocarcinoma due to air pollution.

The authors observed that although adenocarcinoma was more common in women, men still made up the majority of lung cancer cases.

This could be because of increased exposure to indoor cooking-related pollutants, according to the experts. Women are commonly exposed to the negative effects of solid cooking fuels, such as coal, in nations like China.

They came to the conclusion that it is more crucial to look at how lung cancer develops in nonsmokers as smoking rates fall.

WHO estimates that only about one in five adults worldwide use tobacco products like cigarettes, down from a third in 2020.

The researchers urged more investigation into the precise mechanisms by which air pollution may cause alterations in lung cells that eventually develop into cancer.

According to some experts, tiny pollution particles enter the lungs and harm the DNA of the cells, causing the cells to divide quickly and develop into malignant tumors.

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Others speculate that it might be because of the body’s response to pollutants, like inflammation, which triggers dormant cell mutations that eventually lead to the disease.

The authors of the study, which was published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, were aware of certain limitations.

First of all, there might be some discrepancies in lung cancer diagnoses across countries because their data was compiled from national cancer registries.

Their findings coincide with an increase in lung cancer cases among young women and girls in the United Kingdom.

The disease has increased by 130% in females under 24 years of age in recent decades, according to data from Cancer Research UK (CRUK).

While those over 70 are still the most likely to receive a diagnosis, they are now the fastest-growing group at risk for the illness.

According to medical professionals, the reason why rates among men of the same age have hardly changed since the early 1990s is simply unknown.

Experts in cancer have cautioned against considering lung cancer to be “an old person’s disease,” as was once the case.

During this season, when colds are common, young women were also advised not to ignore a persistent cough, which is the disease’s primary symptom.

Experts told MailOnline that the fact that many of these cases involve women who have never smoked is one of the causes for concern, as noted in the most recent study.

Therefore, it is nearly impossible for medical professionals to offer any guidance on how younger women can reduce their risk.

In the UK, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, taking the lives of about 35,000 patients annually, or four every hour.

Lung cancer symptoms include a chronic cough that doesn’t go away after three weeks, blood in the cough, recurrent chest infections, breathing difficulties, fatigue, and sudden weight loss.

Other, less common symptoms of lung cancer include changes in the way your fingers look, pain or difficulty swallowing, wheezing, voice changes, and facial or neck swelling.

Seeing a doctor is advised for anyone exhibiting any of these symptoms.

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