Lung cancer is no longer considered only a disease affecting smokers, according to information released on Apr. 7 by OSF HealthCare. Jun Zhang, MD, PhD, a thoracic oncologist and vice president of oncology research with OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute, discussed additional causes for lung cancer among non-smokers as part of an ongoing series.
The topic is important because the World Cancer Research Fund reports that lung cancer remains the most common cancer worldwide, with the highest number of cases in China, the United States and Japan. The Journal of Thoracic Oncology notes that 1.8 million people die each year from lung cancer. Notably, between 10-20% of patients diagnosed with lung cancer are non-smokers.
Dr. Zhang identified three key contributors to non-smoking related lung cancer: cooking fumes, secondhand smoke exposure and genetic predispositions. The World Health Organization has found that household air pollution from solid fuels or kerosene used for cooking leads to about 2.9 million premature deaths annually worldwide; approximately 6% of these are due to lung cancer caused by carcinogens from such household air pollution.
“This is one of the reasons there’s a higher incidence among Asian people, because of cooking style and the importance of food,” Dr. Zhang said. “Over there, the way we cook delicious food is using the really hot wok (large bowl-shaped pan used for high-heat cooking) as the way to cook. Especially if the cooking involves using animal fat, it can create droplets (fumes), that can be inhaled and cause problems.” Secondhand smoke also poses significant risks: “Whether it’s a parent smoking or a coworker smoking, this leads to indoor air pollution,” Dr. Zhang said.
Genetic factors were highlighted as another major contributor: “It turns out that if you have germline variants in the EGFR gene, people have a higher susceptibility to have lung cancer,” Dr. Zhang said. He added that advances in artificial intelligence and sequencing could reveal more genetic predispositions in future research.
Current U.S.-based screening guidelines recommend low-dose CT scans primarily for those aged at least 50 years with substantial smoking histories; however, recent studies like FANSS suggest expanding criteria may help detect more cases among populations such as Asian females who never smoked but remain at risk.
OSF HealthCare provides guidance on diseases like lung cancer through its newsroom according to its official website. The organization operates across Illinois and Michigan through a network including hospitals and outpatient facilities according to its official website. Its mission includes providing compassionate care via clinical initiatives according to its official website while serving both urban and rural communities according to its official website. As an integrated nonprofit health system dedicated to community service according to its official website, OSF HealthCare offers emergency care as well as specialized services including oncology treatment options according to its official website.
