Lung cancer: not just a smoker’s disease

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Did you know that, according to the American Cancer Society, about 80% of lung cancer deaths are the result of smoking? So, what about the other 20%? That rarely gets discussed, and lung cancer is more than just a smoker’s disease. It can affect anyone, regardless of whether you have a history of smoking. So let’s talk about it.

What puts someone at risk for lung cancer?

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that “lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.” It’s often diagnosed at advanced stages, which makes it difficult to treat, but preventive measures, such as quitting smoking and limiting environmental risks, can improve treatment options and save lives.

While smoking remains the greatest contributing factor to being diagnosed with lung cancer, there are many other risk factors that affect non-smokers. Those include:

  • Air pollution
  • A family history of lung cancer
  • Previous radiation therapy to the lungs
  • Secondhand smoke
  • Exposure to asbestos
  • Exposure to radon
  • Exposure to carcinogens in the workplace
  • Arsenic in drinking water
  • High-dose beta-carotene supplements

Some of these risk factors can be mitigated by choice, such as choosing not to work in jobs where exposure to carcinogens is common, but others can’t. That’s why it’s important to limit the risk factors you have control over and get seen by a doctor regularly.

Changing the narrative about lung cancer

Lung cancer doesn’t discriminate. It affects smokers and non-smokers alike and, sometimes, it just happens. Acknowledging that lung cancer is more than just a smoker’s disease prevents shaming individuals who get diagnosed and allows us to help more people who are at risk.

When we ask better questions, push for earlier detection, and make room in the conversation for everyone who could be at risk, we do patients everywhere a service.

When it comes to lung cancer, circumstance and choice both matter, and people deserve support either way.

If you’re a member of Mass General Brigham Health Plan and want to quit smoking, you can take advantage of our Quit for Life tobacco cessation program. For more information or to enroll, email HealthPlanQuitSmoking@mgb.org or call Joan Heselton at 857-282-3096.
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