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In the UK, nearly 6,000 nonsmokers die each year from lung cancer, according to a new study. Exposure to second-hand smoke, carcinogens and air pollution are among the most common causes of malignancy. ( Gerd Altmann | pixabay )
Lung cancer is becoming one of the leading causes of death in the UK, both among smokers and non-smokers.
In a study listed in the Journal of the Royal Society of MedicinePublic health experts have seen a noticeable increase in the number of non-smokers diagnosed with the disease.
Non-smokers die every year from lung cancer
As many as 6,000 Britons lose their lives each year because of lung cancer complications despite smoking a small number of cigarettes (less than 100 in their lifetime) or never having smoked. That's one-sixth of the 36,000 cancer-related deaths each year.
The figure is also significantly higher compared to deaths caused by other forms of cancer, such as leukemia, cervix or ovarian.
Considered a full-fledged statistic, lung cancer among nonsmokers is already the eighth leading cause of cancer deaths in the country and the seventh cancer in the world, according to researchers.
Experts estimate that most lung cancer diagnoses among non-smokers are caused by second-hand smoke, vehicle fumes and indoor air pollution.
Lung cancer in non-smokers
Smoking in the UK has declined in recent years. However, lung cancer rates among non-smokers have also increased relatively.
Paul Cosford, director of health protection at Public Health England and lead author of the study, said such numbers could surprise many people in the UK.
"They rarely think that lung cancer is a non-smoking disease," said Cosford. "They are so focused on smoking as the main risk factor that we forget that there are many causes of lung cancer that affect nonsmokers."
The study is of personal importance to Cosford, who was recently diagnosed with lung cancer while he was not a smoker. He stressed that people are beginning to understand that it is a public health problem to which they must lend their support.
Detecting lung cancer in non-smokers has been difficult for health professionals. Patients are often diagnosed only after reaching the third or fourth stage of the disease, which may be already too late for them to receive proper treatment. Cancer treatments can help prolong their lives, but they may not be enough to cure them.
People who suffer from it are often misdiagnosed and have symptoms of lung cancer, such as muscle pain, that doctors confuse with those of other diseases.
Leading causes of lung cancer in non-smokers
Secondhand smoke is one of the leading causes of lung cancer development in the non-smokers mentioned in the study. It accounts for 15% of the 6,000 cancer cases observed each year.
People regularly exposed to various carcinogens, such as asbestos, are also likely to have lung cancer. Thus, 20.5% of non-smoking men and 4.3% of non-smoking women develop the disease.
The inhalation of outdoor air pollution is also one of the leading causes of lung cancer in nonsmokers, accounting for 8% of all cases each year. It is also badociated with 39,000 deaths in the UK each year due to various health problems.
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