5 reasons for cancer of the lung in non-smokers – medicinenet.com

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5 reasons for cancer of the lung in non-smokers - medicinenet.com Medical Author

Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stoppler, MD

Medical Editor: Jay W. Marks, MD

While smoking cigarettes is

an undisputed reason for lung

cancer, not every cases

of cancer of the lung exist in smokers or former smokers. Every year, over 170,000

Americans develop cancer of the lung, and roughly ten percent of lung cancers,

or 17,000 cases, exist in non-smokers. While not every non-smoker suffering

from cancer of the lung may have an identifiable risk factor for growth and development of the condition, numerous conditions and conditions happen to be identified which will

increase a non-smoker’s possibility of developing cancer of the lung.

  1. Passive smoking,
  2. or even the inhalation of cigarettes using their company smokers discussing living or

    working quarters, is definitely an established risk factor to add mass to lung

    cancer. Non-smokers who reside having a smoker possess a 24% rise in risk for

    developing cancer of the lung in comparison with other non-smokers. Every year, up

    to three,000 cancer of the lung deaths are believed to happen within the U.S. which are

    due to passive smoking.

  3. Radon gas, a naturally-occurring gas that forms when uranium decays,
  4. is yet another known reason for cancer of the lung. An believed 12% of total cancer of the lung

    deaths both in smokers and non-smokers, or 15,000 to 22,000 cancer of the lung-related

    deaths yearly within the U.S, are thought to be a minimum of partly associated with

    radon gas exposure.

    Individuals that do smoke and therefore are uncovered to radon have a much greater chance of

    developing cancer of the lung than non-smokers who’re uncovered to radon gas. Radon

    gas can travel up through soil and enter homes through gaps within the

    foundation, pipes, drains, or any other openings. The U.S. Ecological

    Protection Agency estimates that one inch every 15 homes within the U.S.

    contains harmful amounts of radon gas. Radon gas is invisible and odor free

    but could be detected with simple test kits.

  5. Asbestos is really a
  6. compound which was broadly used previously as both thermal and acoustic

    insulation material. Microscopic fibers of asbestos break loose in the

    insulation material and therefore are released in to the air where they may be inhaled into

    the lung area. Asbestos fibers can persist for life in lung tissue following contact with asbestos. Both cancer of the lung and a kind of cancer

    referred to as mesothelioma cancer are

    connected with contact with asbestos. Smoking cigarettes drastically

    increases the risk of developing an asbestos-related cancer of the lung among

    workers uncovered to asbestos nonetheless, asbestos workers who don’t smoke

    possess a five fold and the higher chances of developing cancer of the lung than other

    non-smokers. Today, asbestos me is limited or banned in lots of countries

    such as the U . S.

  7. Genetics, since all
  8. smokers don’t eventually develop cancer of the lung,

    chances are that additional factors, for example individual genetic susceptibility, are likely involved within the

    causation of cancer of the lung. Many studies have proven that cancer of the lung is much more

    prone to exist in both smoking and non-smoking relatives of individuals who’ve had

    cancer of the lung compared to the overall population.

  9. Polluting of the environment from vehicles,
  10. industry, and power plants, can raise the probability of developing cancer of the lung

    in uncovered individuals. It’s been believed that as much as 2,000 cancer of the lung

    deaths each year might be due to breathing polluted air, and lots of experts think that prolonged contact with

    highly polluted air can transport a danger to add mass to cancer of the lung similar

    to that particular of passive smoking.

    REFERENCE: National Institutes of Health. New Early Recognition Studies of Cancer Of The Lung in Non-Smokers Launched Today. News Release, May 4, 2009.

    Last Editorial Review: 12/1/2014

    Resourse: http://medicinenet.com/script/primary/

    Lung Cancer