Age, genes, tobacco… Several factors can promote the appearance of lung cancer. In a recent study, a team of scientists linked increased air pollution to an increase in cases of adenocarcinoma, a type of lung cancer.
- The number of people suffering from adenocarcinoma, a type of lung cancer, is said to have increased due to air pollution.
- A general decline in tobacco consumption around the world is associated with a decrease in the number of people with squamous cell carcinoma.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of death in men and the second in women, according to Public Health France. This disease is most often caused by active but also passive smoking. Other substances, such as asbestos, X-rays, chromium or nickel, can also increase the risk of developing lung cancer. Another risk factor pointed out: air pollution. According to a study published in the scientific journal Atmospheric Environment on November 9the number of people with a type of lung cancer, called “adenocarcinoma”, is said to have increased due to the deterioration in air quality in recent years.
A link between adenocarcinoma cases and pollution
This research was conducted by a team of scientists from Nanyang University of Technology in Singapore and the Chinese University of Hong Kong in China, after an observation. The researchers noticed that “global lung cancer statistics showed a downward trend in squamous cell carcinoma but an upward trend in adenocarcinoma”. To understand the reasons for these trends, which are unclear to them, the scientists analyzed data on people with squamous cell carcinoma and those on patients with adenocarcinoma. This information, which dated from 1990 to 2012, was related to tobacco consumption and air pollution.
The results of the study showed that a 1% decrease in smoking prevalence was associated with a 9% decrease in the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma. The researchers also found that an increase of 0.1 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3) of black carbon, or soot in the atmosphere, is linked to a 12% increase in the incidence of adenocarcinoma in the world. “The association between black carbon and lung cancer is greater in women”, can we read in the works. According to scientists, the associations vary according to gender and continents.
The decline in smoking leads to a decrease in squamous cell carcinomas
The research team concluded that the decreased incidence of squamous cell carcinomas was associated with reduced tobacco consumption, while the increased incidence of adenocarcinomas was “most likely” related to the increase in pollution. “The results of this study should alert us to the need to better control air pollution in order to protect our health and prevent premature deaths from lung cancer or related diseases, especially in populations living near urban areas, known to experience high levels of pollutant emissions”said Professor Joseph Sung, vice president of Nanyang University of Technology, who led the study.
