While the former presenter of the 1 p.m. news from TF1 Jean-Pierre Pernaut has just announced that he has lung cancer, Why doctor offers you, with the help of the new collective “Together we lungs”, a series to know everything about this disease. Today, focus on its risk factors.
- With the desire to improve patient care through early detection of lung cancer, the collective “Together we lungs” was newly formed.
- Its ambition is to eliminate lung cancer as a cause of death.
Jean-Pierre Pernaut says it himself: he regrets not having quit smoking. The main risk factor for lung cancer is indeed tobacco: 80% of these pathologies are attributable to it. All forms of tobacco are concerned (cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, hookah, etc.). “Beyond active smoking, passive smoking also increases the risk of lung cancer,” explains the Together We Lungs collective.
Environmental or occupational risk factors
Tobacco, however, is not the only factor involved. Other environmental or occupational risk factors are also involved in the appearance of lung cancer, namely:
– asbestos;
– diesel engine exhaust gases;
– radon;
– polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons;
– occupational or accidental exposure to ionizing radiation;
– silica;
– cadmium;
– inhaled cannabis;
– previous radiotherapy of the chest for Hodgkin’s lymphoma for example, or more rarely for breast cancer.
15 to 20% of patients have no risk factors
“Risk factors remain statistical parameters”, specifies the collective Together we lungs. “The presence of several risk factors multiplies the probability of occurrence of cancer: for a person exposed to asbestos, the risk of lung cancer is multiplied by five in a person who does not smoke, and by 50 in the case of smoking”, add health professionals.
Be careful though. A person who is exposed to one or more risk factors may never develop lung cancer. Conversely, it is possible for a person with no risk factors (for example, a person who has never smoked) to develop lung cancer. “15 to 20% of patients apparently have no particular risk factors that explain their disease. In these situations, diagnosing lung cancer can be even more challenging.” point out the experts.
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