The rate of cancer in people who have never smoked is increasing continuously. In this case, air pollution is considered to be a significant reason. The World Health Organization’s cancer research organization IARC said this information.
According to IARC, lung cancer in perpetual non-smokers is now believed to be the fifth highest cause of cancer death worldwide.
The IARC says that lung cancer in people who have never smoked is mainly seen as adenocarcinoma (a type of lung cancer). Adenocarcinoma is the main of the four subtypes of lung cancer.
According to an IARC study published in the journal Lancet Respiratory Medicine, exposure to air pollution was associated with adenocarcinoma in nearly 2022.
According to the study, adenocarcinoma is more associated with air pollution in East Asia, especially China.
Lead author Freddie Bray, head of cancer surveillance at the IARC, told the Guardian that the study’s findings suggest there is an urgent need to focus on changing lung cancer risk patterns. If smoking is not the main cause of lung cancer, more research is needed to identify other possible causes, such as air pollution, he said.
A significant number of people around the world are affected by lung cancer. In 2022, about 2.5 million people worldwide were diagnosed with lung cancer.
The four main subtypes of lung cancer are adenocarcinoma, schwamous cell carcinoma, small cell carcinoma, and large cell carcinoma. The IARC says adenocarcinoma is the main subtype in both men and women.
In 2022, 45.6 percent of men diagnosed with cancer and 59.7 percent of women suffered from the adenocarcinoma subtype. In 2020, the rate was 39 percent for men and 57.1 percent for women.