Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Not Just Smoking Causes Lung Cancer; Several Other Factors Also Cause It

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer among men (behind prostate cancer) and women (behind breast cancer) in the U.S. ,according to the American Cancer Society, the USA Today website reports today (July 23, 2024).


Nearly a quarter of a  million people will be diagnosed with lung cancer in 2024and 125,000 will die from lung cancer, the organization estimates. Most people who are diagnosed are over the age of 65 -- very few are diagnosed below the age of 45, per the ACS. 


Health experts are encouraged by the fact that statistics are on the decline== likely thanks to a combination of smoking declining  and advances in medical technology that allow for earlier detection and treatment. 


About 80% of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking, according to the ACS. 


You don't have to smoke tobacco to develop lung cancer, experts note. Exposure to secondhand  smoke, air pollution, asbestos, diesel exhaust, and radon, a radioactive gas with no smell or color that is typically found in rocks, soil and burning coal and  fossil fuels , can also cause lung cancer, according to the ACS.

No comments:

Post a Comment