Lung cancer is often seen to be associated with smoking. It is usually the belief that this disease occurs only to those who drink cigarette-bidi. But the truth is different from this. In fact, lung cancer also occurs to people who do not smoke. About 10-30% of lung cancer cases in India are found in people who have never had a cigarette or bidi in their lives.
Cancer without smoking
This figure has been reported up to 40% in the stees in India. That is, 40 percent of 100 percent of people who did not smoke. The main cause of lung cancer among those who do not smoke, second hand smoke carcinogens (substances that can cause cancer), polutants built indoors, smoke and gases and already present lung disease are on the burning of wood or coal.
This was stated by Dr. Radheshyam Naik, Head of Medical Oncology, Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Department at Samprada Hospital in Bangalore. He said that some cases of lung cancer are also caused by exposure to estrogenes, which is a group of female sex hormones known as Human Carcinogenes.
Why lung cancer is increasing
Dr. Radheshyam Naik said, ‘In the last three decades, there has been a steady increase in lung cancer cases in both men and women in metros like Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai. This situation reflects the risk of smoking, increasing air pollution indoors and outside the house and increasing awareness among people about health checkups.
He further said, India ranks fifth worldwide in terms of air pollution. About half of Indians regularly come in contact with others’ smoke during homes, offices or travels. In India, the contribution of air pollution inside the house is 4-6% in the increasing burden of lung cancer. About 75% of Indian population is dependent on solid fuel for cooking such as wood, cow dung dung or coal, which can cause lung cancer.
Smash smoke also fatal
Even light sunlight in closed places increases the risk of lung cancer. Those who have been burning sunlight indoors for more than 40 years, the risk of lung cancer has been found four times more than those who do not smoke.
Dr. Vinod K. Ramani said, ‘When most smokers in India and non -smokers, lung cancer is detected when the cancer reaches the Advand stage.
Incorrect diagnose increases risk
One reason for this is that symptoms such as cough, chest pain and weight loss are the same in both tuberculosis and lung cancer. Since TB cases are also increasing in India and are very similar to its cancer symptoms, many times the early symptoms of lung cancer are considered TB, which can cause a lot of delay in their treatment.
What are the treatment and prevention methods
Treating lung cancer includes options such as immunotherapy and target medicine. Also, lung cancer vaccines are also included which are given after surgery to prevent the disease from growing again. Family members of cancer patients should be seen as a person with high risk of any cancer, including lung cancer.
Be careful with these symptoms
Everyone should be cautious about symptoms like cough, sputum bleeding and weight loss for a long time. Those who do not smoke should also conduct a screening test for lung cancer from time to time. To avoid diseases, an MRI scan of the entire body should be done once every three years.
Vigilance is safety
Talking about what people can do to protect themselves from the risk of cancer associated with air pollution, Dr. Vishwajit Pai said, ‘People should use masks on the pollution area.
People should also avoid exposure to fossil fuel gases, which are more likely to have carcinogenic elements. LPG should be used in cooking stove instead of driving a vehicle. Also, air inside the house should be tested for radioactive radon gas coming out of the soil, which can pose a major risk of lung cancer.
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