Sign up to join our community!
Please sign in to your account!
Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link and will create a new password via email.
Please briefly explain why you feel this question should be reported.
Please briefly explain why you feel this answer should be reported.
Please briefly explain why you feel this user should be reported.
I’ve recently been diagnosed with lung cancer, despite never having smoked a day in my life. I’m puzzled by how this could have happened and curious about the possible causes of lung cancer in non-smokers. Could there be other factors or environmental exposures that contributed to the development of this disease?
You must login to add an answer.
There are still a few risk factors that can cause cancer in a non-smoker. Number 1, second-hand smoke. Chronic exposure to second-hand smoke can cause cancer. Even if you don’t smoke, but your surrounding family members or friends smoke, second-hand smoke can cause cancer. Second is chronic chemical exposure, such as radon or asbestos. If you work in a factory that produces radon or asbestos, there is an increased risk of having lung cancer. Third, medical history. If you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or pulmonary fibrosis, a long-standing of infection will cause inflammation of the lung. It will subsequently lead to lung cancer. The fourth factor is genetically linked. Certain non-smoker lung cancers have this gene EGFR and ALK, which is specifically found in non-smokers. This can mutate and cause lung cancer.
There are ways to screen for lung cancer. We normally do a low-dose CT scan every year to screen for lung cancer. Please contact your healthcare professional for this screening.