DELHI Delhi: Lung cancer, which affects long-term smokers, is increasing rapidly even among non-smokers, doctors said on Monday. According to health experts, exposure to air pollution is the main reason. A recent research published in the Lancet eClinical Medicine journal has revealed that the majority of lung cancer patients in India are non-smokers. The study said that lung cancer cases in India are appearing about 10 years earlier than in western countries. Dr Prasad Adusumili, thoracic surgeon and cellular therapist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), US, told IANS: “The demographics of lung cancer in India present a unique and worrying picture, with the incidence increasing among younger individuals. And the number of cases is increasing among non-smokers.
Traditionally, lung cancer has been closely linked to smoking, but we are seeing a change in this, especially in urban populations.” Adusumili said non-smokers, especially women, have a life expectancy of about 10 years compared to their Western counterparts. Lung cancer is often diagnosed with no history of smoking. “It may be associated with various risk factors, including exposure to environmental pollutants, genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors,” he said. Cancer related to cancer globally The incidence is also increasing among non-smokers, especially among women and in the Asian population. What is worrying is that a large number of lung cancer patients are diagnosed in India every year. In the country it is diagnosed in advanced stages.
“Lung cancer in non-smokers (LCINS) occurs predominantly as adenocarcinoma, affecting peripheral lung tissue,” says Dr Jagadishwar Gaur Gajgouni, oncologist at a Hyderabad-based hospital. Main risk factors include air pollution, radon exposure, smoke from indoor cooking, and secondhand smoke.”
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