An alarming trend has become a source of growing concern among
oncologists. More people without a history of smoking tobacco are being
diagnosed with lung cancer.
Oncologist Dr. Laura Alder with Duke Health said she often must
remind people, “Anyone with lungs can get lung cancer.”
“It’s the number one cause of cancer death in America and a
good portion of that is coming from people with no smoking history,” Alder said.
A rise in cases have been detected particularly in women of
younger ages in recent years.
“That means usually under the age of 50,” she said. “Young
women are now at a higher risk than the same age group of young males.”
The doctor shared the reason why is still unclear.
Ongoing research points to a variety of potential causes: environmental
factors such as pollution, living in urban areas, older homes with higher radon
levels and even genetics.
The CDC reports secondhand
smoke can also put nonsmokers at greater risk of lung cancer.
“Sometimes it’s just really bad luck that a mistake happens
in the body’s everyday process of cell replication and dividing and it’s no one’s
fault,” said Alder.
The doctor also warned against behaviors like vaping, especially
in younger patients, due to the unknown long-term impacts.
“I don’t like inhaling anything that’s not the normal air we
breathe into the lungs,” said Alder. “The lungs are delicate, and I think there’s
a lot of fear and unknown risks that will come out in years to come. We do have
a database, and I think a lot of centers are looking at what does the exposure
to foreign chemicals doing to this very delicate lung tissue.”
The oncologist encouraged women to listen to their bodies
and speak up if something is off. She added greater awareness among physicians
of the increase in lung cancer rates in women would also help.
She noted signs of lung cancer could easily be overlooked if
someone falsely believes they can’t get lung cancer if they don’t smoke.
Common symptoms include:
·
Persistent cough that doesn’t go away or worsens
·
Wheezing
·
Shortness of breath
·
Fatigue
·
Loss of weight
·
Coughing up blood
Alder encouraged anyone who may be at risk to get screened.
One initiative the oncologist called attention to is the Hear Her
campaign.
“The point is to raise awareness, especially with women who
have lung cancer who very often, there is a greater time for them to be
diagnosed than for males and they have less screening rates than males,” she
said.
November is Lung
Cancer Awareness Month. In addition to women under 50 who develop symptoms
of lung cancer, men and women between 50 and 80 years old with a 20 pack-year
smoking history or who have quit smoking in the last 15 years should also get
screened.
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