Despite drops in tobacco use worldwide, the incidence of lung cancer among people who have never smoked is increasing, with higher risks for younger generations and women – particularly in China – a global analysis led by the World Health Organization has found.
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The main culprit is air pollution known as PM, or particulate matter, in the form of tiny solid particles and liquid droplets.
“Our findings suggest that the largest incident burden of lung adenocarcinoma attributable to ambient PM pollution is in East Asia, especially in China,” the scientists involved in the study wrote.
The researchers, from the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer and Guangdong Medical University in China, published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine on Monday.
Lung cancer in never-smokers is estimated to be the fifth-leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, occurring almost exclusively as adenocarcinoma and most commonly in women and Asian populations, according to the report.
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Adenocarcinoma is a subtype of lung cancer that begins in mucus-producing cells. It is the most common type diagnosed in current or former smokers, as well as people who have never smoked.