The good news is that the number of smokers around the globe has been on a steady decline. The concerning news is that there has been an alarming rise in the number of people diagnosed with lung cancer who have never touched a single cigarette. What is causing this rise in lung cancer incidences among non-smokers, though?
Understanding the Increase in Lung Cancer Diagnoses Among Non-Smokers
According to research conducted by an international team, the worst-hit region appears to be East Asia, especially China. According to the authors of the study, “As lung cancer is the leading type of cancer worldwide, a comprehensive understanding of the changing epidemiological patterns and their potential causes is essential”. For their study, the researchers examined various cancer incidence registers from 1998 to 2017, in addition to statistics from the 2022 Global Cancer Observatory. They concluded that the most prevalent type of cancer globally was adenocarcinoma.
The researchers found that it accounted for almost 60% of female and 45.6% of male lung cancer cases worldwide. This type of cancer originates in the glands and can potentially be caused by smoking. However, it is not as prevalent in smokers as it is in non-smokers, for whom it is the most common type of lung cancer. Lung cancer among non-smokers is the 5th leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. It almost exclusively occurs as adenocarcinoma and affects the female Asian population the most.
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