getting younger and non-smoker

Tobacco continues to be, by far, responsible for the majority of cases of lung cancer, because up to 90% of lung cancer in men and 80% in women occur in smokers. However, the profile is changing and just as this type of tumors traditionally occurred in mature men and smokers, currently, as a warning ICAPEM -the Association for Research on Lung Cancer in Women- in recent years, the number of women young non-smokers suffering from lung cancer is increased.

It is contained in men and increased in women

Lung cancer is being contained in men, even shrinking, while it is increasing in women. Currently, according to data from ICAPEM, it is increasing by 6% per year, there are between 8,500 and 9,000 new cases in women and it is the fourth most frequent neoplasm among Spanish women. In fact, due to its high mortality, in Europe it already causes a number of deaths similar to that of breast cancerwhich is much more common.

But it is not only the increase in cases in women that is worrying, but also that, although it is still more prevalent in mature women, in recent years the average age of women with lung cancer is getting lower, “this disease continues to be a disease that affects mainly to mature smokers (over 55 years), but the incidence among young patients is increasing a lot”, they explain from ICAPEM, also in pregnant women, which greatly complicates the therapeutic approach.

“That age is falling and that is alarming, because youth influences the body’s resistance and recovery capacity, but also the speed of cancer growth,” they add.

Tobacco is not always the culprit

The increase in cases of cancer lung cancer in women in recent years has a clear culprit: tobacco. It is not the only one, but there is a clear relationship between the increase in cigarette consumption by women – a consumption that increased especially between the 70s and 80s – and the increase in cases in the following years.

For this reason, it is expected that cases will continue to increase in the coming years. However, in the case of women, there are 20% of cases that are not related to this habit, since it occurs in non-smokers, “it is important to understand that, although most cases of breast cancer lung cancer occur in smokers, it is possible to develop the disease without having smoked”, warn ICAPEM, a non-profit foundation whose main objective is to raise awareness among the population about lung cancer among women.

According to this entity, other risk factors for contracting lung cancer are tobacco smoke from others (being a passive smoker), pollution, genetics, bad habits or exposure to substances such as radon“We cannot think that because we are young or a non-smoker it cannot happen to us.

This tumor is not exclusive to men, or the elderly, or smokers. It is important to alert about this to prevent diagnoses from being given too late”, they point out. Not taking these factors into account can delay diagnosis and worsen the prognosis of a cancer that is already one of the most lethal.

How to prevent lung cancer in women

No Smoking and avoiding inhaling the smoke of other people’s cigarettes is the best way to reduce the risk of developing lung cancer, “that is, clearly, one of the most important objectives, because the increase in cases of lung cancer in women It is undoubtedly a consequence of the fact that women smoke more and more, both actively and passively”, they say. Other factors, such as exposure to pollution or radon, are less easy to control, not to mention genetics.

For this reason, the ICAPEM experts ask, above all, for greater awareness of the symptoms so that diagnoses are not delayed. Also, a fundamental pillar in any type of cancer: more research, because, as they point out, “it has already been observed that being a woman or being a man influences symptoms, diagnosis, cancer development and response to treatment,” they say. . Therefore, investigating more about how gender influences the disease can help improve treatments and reduce mortality.

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