If you guessed air pollution, you are spot on. After smoking, air pollution is the second leading cause of lung cancer worldwide. That’s the finding of a new analysis.

Today we look at new data showing variability in lung cancer incidence by geography. You’ll learn which countries are the most affected, how coal affects risk, and how those of us who care about those with cancer can use our voices to fight back.

“So, whether the aliens explore with chemistry or with radio waves, they might come to the same conclusion: a planet where there’s advanced technology must be populated with intelligent life-forms, who may occupy themselves discovering how the universe works and how to apply its laws for personal or public gain.

Looking more closely at Earth’s atmospheric fingerprints, human biomarkers will also include sulfuric, carbonic, nitric acids, and other components of smog from burning fossil fuels. Suppose the curious aliens are socially, culturally, and technologically more advanced than we are. In that case, they will surely interpret these biomarkers as convincing evidence for the absence of intelligent life on Earth.”
― Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

Lung cancer problem scope

Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that skin cancer is the most common cancer type in the USA, followed by prostate cancer (among men) and breast cancer (among women).

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death due to cancer in the United States among men and women.

Across the globe, lung cancer is the second most common cancer. By sex, it is the leading cancer in men and the second most common cancer in women.

There are more than 2.2 million new lung cancer cases each year. Here are the countries with the highest incidences of lung cancer, according to the World Cancer Research Fund International (cases per 100,000):

1. Hungary 50
2. Serbia 47
3. France, New Caledonia 43
4. French Polynesia 41
5. Turkey 40
6. Montenegro 40
7. Belgium 38
8. Bosnia and Herzogovenia 38
9. North Korea 37
10. Denmark 37

The death rates are highest in Hungary, Serbia, French Polynesia, Turkey, and Guam.

Lung cancer causes

Smoking is the main cause of the two main forms of lung cancer: small and non-small cell. Cigarettes contribute to 80 percent of lung cancer deaths in women, and 90 percent of men, respectively.

Men who smoke are 23 times more likely to get lung cancer than non-smokers. Women are 13 times more likely, compared with never smokers.

Smoking can affect those of us who are non-smokers. In the United States, exposure to secondhand smoke is related to about 7,330 lung cancer deaths among non-smokers yearly. Non-smokers have a 1.2 to 1.3-fold risk of developing lung cancer if exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work.

Other lung cancer causes

Besides smoking and the factors detailed above, other proven causes of lung cancer include:

• Previous lung disease (such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, emphysema, or chronic bronchitis).
• Having antibodies to Chlamydia pneumoniae, bacteria that can cause chest infections.
• Exposure (such as at work) to asbestos, radon, crystalline silica, mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals are linked with an increased risk of lung cancer. Radon exposure is second only to smoking as a causative agent of lung cancer.
• Indoor air pollution (for example, from wood and coal burning for heating and cooking.

If you drink water containing arsenic, your lung cancer risk rises. Among current and former smokers, taking high doses of beta-carotene supplements increases lung cancer risk.

On the other hand, the World Cancer Research Fund International offers some potential risk-reducing strategies:

• Limit red meat, processed meat, and alcoholic drinks, as these substances may increase the risk of lung cancer.
• Increasing your fruit and vegetable intake for current and former smokers may lower your lung cancer risk.
• Foods [not supplements] with beta-carotene, carotenoids, or retinol may drop your lung cancer risk.
• In current users of cigarettes, vitamin C-containing food may lower the risk.
• For never-smokers, foods with isoflavones may drop the risk.
• Physical activity may decrease the risk of lung cancer.

Air pollution and lung cancer

Could pollution be the second leading cause of lung cancer? A novel study suggests that 14.1 percent of lung cancer deaths worldwide are directly linked to air pollution.

This new finding puts air pollution as the second leading cause of lung cancer, exceeded only by smoking.

The researchers report that the lung cancer death burden attributable to air pollution is lower in the USA, where 4.7 percent of deaths due to the disease are directly linked to pollution.

Unfortunately, we in the western USA have seen a recent increase in wildfires and can expect to pay the price for our exposure to this unpleasant air. The study authors also found an association between deaths from lung cancer worldwide and the proportion of national energy produced by coal.

The post The Second Leading Cause of Lung Cancer Will Surprise You appeared first on Medika Life.

Here is the title of a recent report from the American Cancer Society: “Risk of Dying from Cancer Continues to Drop at an Accelerated Pace. Behind the striking headline are these numbers:

The cancer death rate for women and men combined fell by one-third (32 percent) from its peak in 1991 to 2019, the most recent year for which data were available.

Cancer death rates drop

3.5 million. That’s the number of deaths averted from 1991 to 2019. A big driver? Improvements in lung cancer outcomes. Approximately one in four cancer deaths are attributable to lung cancer.

Mortality rates for lung cancer decreased by roughly five percent each year between 2015 and 2019. In comparison, overall cancer mortality declined by about two percent.

How are we achieving these improvements in lung cancer outcomes? Some of the reductions in deaths are secondary to an increase in the percentage of patients living longer after diagnosis. Another contributor to the positive news is that we are catching more people at an early stage of the disease.

Lung cancer improvements

Let’s talk a little about lung cancer screening. While only a tiny percentage of those at high risk for lung cancer have screening (two percent in 2010 and five percent in 2018, according to the American Cancer Society), the upsides have been substantial. Look at the numbers:

In 2004, detection of lung cancer at an early age occurred in 17 percent of those with the disease. Contrast that figure with 2004, when 28 percent of those with lung cancer had early-stage disease.

Why does catching lung cancer when it is early and localized? Here at the United States Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results odds of surviving lung cancer for at least five years (2011–2017):

• Localized 60 percent
• Regional (spread to nodes) 33 percent
• Distant (spread to distant organs) 6 percent

Appropriate screening is critical. Here’s what the US Preventative Services Task Force recommends:

Annual screening for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography (CT scan) in adults aged 50 to 80 years who have a 20 pack-year (see below) smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years.

*For example, if you smoked one pack of cigarettes daily for 25 years, you have a 25 pack-year history.

We see screening drop off with each peak of Covid-19. Such delays will likely lead to numerous deaths that would have been prevented. Talk to your primary healthcare provider to see what cancer screening is appropriate for you.

Lung cancer — smoking drop key to stats

To be clear, it is not only early detection or treatment advances that are moving the marker regarding lung cancer mortality improvements; what has been critical is a drop in the number of folks smoking.

Now, this is disturbing news: While we are making impressive progress in reducing deaths from lung cancer, advanced stage presentations are increasing for breast and prostate cancers. These are the most common cancers among women and men, respectively. Please get screened appropriately.

So much of what we hear about cancer is negative. I am delighted that I can share with you the good news — We are seeing significant progress in cancer risk reduction and management.

The post Cancer — Some Good News appeared first on Medika Life.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer worldwide in men and the second leading cause in women. Worldwide, lung cancer occurred in 2.1 million patients in 2018 and caused an estimated 1.8 million deaths.

Sometimes lung cancer arises in the setting of no apparent cause. In uncommon cases, inherited genetics may play a role. While there is no way to reduce one’s lung cancer chances to zero, there are ways we can drop the risk of developing cancer in general (and lung cancer in particular).

We know the significant role tobacco can play in cancer. So the first pro tip is one you already know: Avoid tobacco. But avoiding cigarettes aside, what are practical ways we can lower the probability of getting lung cancer?

Physical activity offers innumerable health benefits. But did you know that exercise may reduce your risk of getting lung cancer? You may be surprised to learn that the answer is yes. A City of Hope (California, USA) study showed that physical activity could reduce the risk of developing lung cancer by nearly a third for women and up to half for men.

The workplace can be a place with chemicals that increase your likelihood of getting lung cancer. Such carcinogens include asbestos. For example, because construction in the past has often used asbestos, construction workers can be at a higher risk of lung cancer.

Those who worked in shipbuilding and insulation can be at exceptionally high risk. Make sure that you have appropriate protective gear if you work in an environment of risk. Even family members can experience an increased risk, as the asbestos fibers could be carried home on a worker’s clothing.

Fortunately, asbestos use is on the decline in the USA. Still, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) estimates that over a million American employees in construction and general industries face significant asbestos exposure on the job.

House ventilation. What, you might ask? We turn to the naturally occurring radioactive gas, radon. Occurring naturally in the earth’s crust, it can be in our homes, with upwards of 10 percent of lung cancer cases secondary to radon exposure. Basements and lower levels of buildings in specific geographic regions can be particularly problematic.

Go here to get advice on checking levels in your home: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers advice on checking radon levels at home. While we are on the topic of environmental toxins, air pollution comes to mind.

In a 2018 study, three separate meta-analyses have shown a link between greater air pollution and a significant increase in lung cancer risk. Association is not causality, but moving to a less polluted area may reduce one’s risk of developing lung cancer.

I want to end by reminding you of some early symptoms of lung cancer. The most common symptoms include a new cough of two to three weeks’ duration, a chronic cough that worsens over time, a recurrent chest infection, and shortness of breath.

If you have any of these symptoms, it does not necessarily mean they have lung cancer, but they should seek medical attention immediately. Finally, if you have a history of smoking, ask your care provider if you are a candidate for lung cancer screening with a low-dose CT scan.

Thank you for joining me today.

The post Lung Cancer: It’s Not Just Cigarettes. appeared first on Medika Life.