Never Smoker’s: Are you a member? Many healthcare experts are declaring that we need to have a greater recognition of lung cancer in a very special group; the never-smokers. Most people know that lung cancer can strike whether you are a smoker, a current non-smoker or never smoker.
Lung Cancer Strikes the Non-Smoker and the Never Smoker
However, if you are a never-smoker, will your primary care physician recognize lung cancer with early diagnosis and high-quality care? “Writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, they say that lung cancer in people who have never smoke is under-recognized…” Furthermore, the experts added that the condition in the never-smoker group presents “a diagnostic challenge, particularly for GPs…” (General practitioners.)
Never Smokers and Non-Smokers in Peril
The article listed some scary statistics for lung cancer in the UK. They estimated 6,000 people in the UK who are never-smokers, actually die of lung cancer every year. That is greater than the numbers of people who die of cervical cancer (900), lymphoma (5,200), leukemia (4,500) and ovarian cancer (4,200) in the UK, every year.
How and why does this happen? The experts tell us that the major contributors to lung cancers in the never-smokers include these three risks:
- second-hand smoke,
- occupational carcinogen exposure
- And outdoor pollution.
If You Are a Woman Never Smoker, Your Risk is Higher
The experts also named women as a globally at-risk group for lung cancer due to the “use of solid fuels for indoor cooking and second-hand smoke exposure.” Think about it. Women cook. They hang over a hot fire and tend smoking ovens.
The lead author of the recent document is Professor Paul Cosford, Director for Health Protection & Medical Director, Public Health England. He worded the risks strongly, “This paper demonstrates an estimated 6,000 people who have never smoked die each year from lung cancer in the UK. This makes it, by itself, the eighth most common cause of cancer-related death in the UK.” And he added, “For too long having lung cancer has only been thought of as a smoking-related disease.”
He did not discount the association between smoking and lung cancer, but he stressed how the new demonstrated that “the scale of the challenge means there is a need to raise awareness with clinicians and policymakers of the other risk factors including indoor and outdoor air pollution.”
A Call to Arms in Defense of the Next Generation of Never Smokers
But I Never Smoked?
Dr. Cosford explained, “This is one reason why PHE published its review of the evidence and recommended specific actions local authorities can take to improve their air quality.” He hopes to deliver clean air so that the next generation of never-smokers will have a far smaller risk of lung cancer.
Never Smokers: Do Not Ignore the Threat
Co-author Professor Mick Peake, clinical director of the Centre for Cancer Outcomes, University College London Hospitals Cancer Collaborative, warned never-smokers as a group. Dr. Peake stated, “Despite advances in our understanding, most people who have never smoked do not believe they are at risk…” He added that they “often experience long delays in diagnosis, reducing their chances of receiving curative treatment.”
He also spoke of the stigma of smoking and its effect on the disease.
“The stigma of smoking has been the major factor behind the lack of interest in, knowledge of and research into lung cancer.” Therefore he concluded that the never-smokers who develop lung cancer are the most under-served and disadvantaged of risk groups.
What Can We Do for Never-Smokers?
Although cleaning up the air and avoiding the hazards of second-hand smoke are major goals, awareness is also critical. “Drawing attention to the contribution of underlying risk factors to lung cancer in never-smokers presents opportunities to reinforce efforts to tackle other major public health challenges.”
Perhaps a medical analysis of the impact of passive smoke and air pollution on lung cancer statistics will pressure the governmental ambitions to clean up the environment. Never-smokers deserve to see the public, clinicians, and policymakers recognizing the relationship between lung cancer and air pollution.
Lung Cancer in Non-smokers and Never-Smokers
Smoky Stigma of Lung Cancer
We have noticed similar statistics in this country also. Likewise, in the USA, pulmonologists have noted that the symptoms of lung cancer in non-smokers are different. They are more subtle than those in people who smoke. Likewise, the types and locations of lung cancers vary between the groups. Let’s check some USA lung cancer facts:
- Lung cancer in non-smokers is more common than many people realize.
- Lung cancer in never-smokers has ranked recently as the 6th most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States.
- Overall, 10 to 15 percent of lung cancers occur in non-smokers. (And here’s a tragic note: Another 50 percent occur in former smokers.)
- Two-thirds of the non-smokers who get lung cancer are women,
- And, sadly, 20 percent of lung cancers in women occur in individuals who have never smoked.
No Screening for Never Smokers?
As we stated above, often the symptoms of lung cancer are more subtle and harder to define in a never-smoker. Likewise, keep in mind that there is no screening test for individuals in this category. These are the reasons that, just as in the UK, the US never-smokers are often not diagnosed until the disease is in advanced stages.
A Call for Action from the USA
The USA experts agree with their counterparts “across the pond,” stating “Understanding lung cancer symptoms in non-smokers has never been more important. This is due to the fact that the majority of people diagnosed with lung cancer today are not active smokers.
And they have stated, “Roughly 20 percent of women in the U.S. (and 50 percent worldwide), are lifelong non-smokers…
While lung cancer has begun to decrease in incidence in older adults, there has actually been a significant increase in one group: Young, never-smoking women. At Florida Lung, Asthma and Sleep Specialists, (FLASS) we think lung cancer awareness for the never-smokers and non-smokers is a cause we must embrace.
Being a never-smoker is a great advantage for good health, but it cannot offset filthy air, carcinogen exposure, and second-hand pollution. We urge all healthcare specialists to join us in this crusade to clean up the air globally. And, be vigilant against lung cancer in smokers, non-smokers and never-smokers alike.
Asthma Season Strikes Again
NEWS FLASH: May is Asthma Awareness Month
It is a beautiful time of year, here in Florida. But there are Asthma Triggers everywhere. So, please follow your FLASS Asthma Action Plan. And Keep Emergency prescriptions on hand in case of Asthma Attacks.
As always, we thank you for reading the blog at FLASS. And remember, there are a lot of reasons to get that nagging little dry cough checked out. It’s not normal, especially if you are a never-smoker.