Risk factors
number of factors may increase your risk of lung cancer. Some
risk factors can be controlled, for instance, by quitting smoking. And other factors can't be controlled,
such as your sex. Risk factors for lung cancer include:
- Smoking: Smoking remains the greatest risk factor for lung cancer. Your risk of lung cancer increases with the
number of cigarettes you smoke each day and the number of years you have smoked. Quitting at any
age can significantly lower your risk of developing lung cancer.
- Your sex:Current or former women smokers have a greater risk of lung cancer than do men who have smoked an equal amount. Though it isn't known why, some experts
speculate that women have a greater susceptibility to the cancer-causing substances found in tobacco.
Others believe that estrogen may play a role. Women also are known to inhale more than men do, and they
are less likely to quit.
- Exposure to secondhand smoke: Even if you don't smoke, your risk of lung cancer increases if you're exposed to secondhand smoke
- Exposure to radon gas:Radon is produced by the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water
that eventually becomes part of the air you breathe. Although unsafe levels of radon can accumulate in any
building, the greatest exposure risk most people face is at home. Radon testing can determine whether levels
are safe.
- Exposure to asbestos and other chemicals:Workplace exposure to asbestos and other substances known to
cause cancer β such as arsenic, chromium, nickel and tar soot β also can increase your risk of developing
lung cancer, especially if you're a smoker.
- Family history of lung cancer: People with a parent, sibling
or other first-degree relative with lung cancer have an increased risk
of the disease.
- Excessive alcohol use: Drinking more than a moderate amount of alcohol β no more than one drink a day
for women or two drinks a day for men β may increase your risk of lung
cancer.
Lung cancer risk higher in female smokers
Female smokers may be more likely to develop lung cancer than men
who smoke a similar amount. Researchers found that of nearly 2,500 men and women age 40 and older screened
for lung cancer, women had more than twice the risk of being diagnosed
with the disease. Researchers of New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical in New York included
in the study, 1,202 women and 1,288 men who underwent computed tomography (CT) scans to screen for
lung cancer. All had smoked for at least 10 "pack-years" i.e. one pack a
day for 10 years, or two packs a day for five years. Follow-up testing confirmed 45 cases of
lung cancer among women, and 20 among men. After the researchers
factored in participants' age and smoking history, women were more than twice as likely as men to be diagnosed
with lung cancer. Some past research has suggested female smokers might
be more susceptible to developing lung cancer, but other studies have
failed to find such evidence. If further research confirms the current findings, it will be especially important
for anti-smoking efforts to reach women and girls and it will be particularly important to stop girls and young
women from taking up the smoking habit. There is not yet a clear reason why women might face a higher
lung cancer risk than men. It is possible, that women are less able than
men to metabolise, or "clear," the toxins from tobacco smoke, but more research is needed to answer that question
. Other possibilities such as sex differences in the aggressiveness of lung tumours, or underreporting of smoking
levels by women do appear to explain the findings.