If the tobacco is one of the first risk factors, the development of a lung cancer can be linked to many other elements. Thus, a person who would never have touched a cigarette in his life is not necessarily protected against the disease. “These cases are moreover much more numerous than one thinks”, assures Prof. Paul Cosford, medical director of the British government agency Public Health England taken over by the Daily Mail.
With his team from the Center for Cancer Outcomes at University College London Hospitals Cancer Collaborative (United Kingdom), the researcher highlights in a study, published in the Jjournal of the Royal Society of Medicine last month, the underestimation of this pathology in non-smokers. “For too long, lung cancer was seen only as a disease linked to smoking”, he continues. Yet, according to research, one in seven victims would not smoke.
A “hidden disease”
In total, some 6,000 Britons who have never smoked die each year from lung cancer. This is far more than the number of deaths from cervical cancer (900), lymphoma (5,200), leukemia (4,500) or ovarian cancer (4,200). Scientists predict that within a decade, these non-smokers will overtake smokers among affected patients. This situation “Represents a diagnostic challenge, in particular for general practitioners (general practitioners, editor’s note) who seek to find a balance between over-investigation, early diagnosis and high-quality care”, write the authors of the study.
It is indeed difficult for practitioners to detect the symptoms of this cancer in people who do not smoke, because they usually start with a persistent cough. While cigarette addicts are quickly prescribed a CT scan if they exhibit this distinctive feature, others are generally considered low risk. “Despite the advancement of our understanding, [ces personnes] do not believe they are at risk and often face long delays in diagnosis, which reduces their chances of receiving curative treatment ”, explains Professor Cosford.
Passive smoking and pollution
The authors of the study therefore invite the non-smoker to be made aware of the various risk factors for lung cancer. For example, people who come into frequent contact with cigarette smoke are particularly exposed. the passive smoking is believed to be the cause of 3,000 to 5,000 deaths per year in France. To be exposed to carcinogens chronically, at work or at home also favors the pathology. The atmospheric pollution is itself just as incriminated. “Smoking abstinence does not make you untouchable”, conclude the researchers.
Read also :
- Lung cancer: twice the chances of survival for non-smokers
- Smokers with healthy lungs: we know why.
