Air pollution may be behind a rising number of lung cancer cases in people who have never smoked. A new study by the World Health Organization links about 200,000 cases to air pollution. The global study of cases in 2022 focused on four main subtypes of lung cancer and found adenocarcinoma to be the emerging subtype in recent years.
The study looked at trends in lung cancer incidence from 1988 to 2017 across 19 countries.
Adenocarcinoma is a lung cancer that is most commonly associated with non-smokers. It is also the most common type of lung cancer in the United States, Johns Hopkins University said. This type of cancer is generally found i the outer regions of the lungs.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says exposure to radon, asbestos, air pollution, and a family history of lung cancer can increase risk of adenocarcinoma type of lung cancer.
The largest risk was to younger generations, particularly females, in East Asia. At the same time, lung cancer rates among men have decreased as fewer people take up smoking. The authors say more strategies are needed to tailor cancer prevention efforts in high-risk populations.
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