Lung Cancer Risk Factors | Smoking & Lung Cancer

A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chance of getting a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. Search Verenespañol | Downloadthistopic[PDF] Causes,RiskFactors,andPrevention LungCancerRiskFactors WhatCausesLungCancer? CanLungCancerBePrevented? Home CancerA-Z LungCancer Causes,RiskFactors,andPrevention LungCancerRiskFactors Ariskfactorisanythingthatincreasesaperson’schanceofgettingadiseasesuchascancer.Differentcancershavedifferentriskfactors.Someriskfactors,likesmoking,canbechanged.Others,likeaperson’sageorfamilyhistory,can’tbechanged. Buthavingariskfactor,orevenseveral,doesnotmeanthatyouwillgetthedisease.Andsomepeoplewhogetthediseasemayhavefewornoknownriskfactors. Severalriskfactorscanmakeyoumorelikelytodeveloplungcancer. Thesefactorsarerelatedtotheriskoflungcanceringeneral.It’spossiblethatsomeofthesemightnotapplytosmallcelllungcancer(SCLC). Riskfactorsyoucanchange Tobaccosmoke Smokingisbyfartheleadingriskfactorforlungcancer.About80%oflungcancerdeathsarethoughttoresultfromsmokingandthisnumberisprobablyevenhigherforsmallcelllungcancer(SCLC).It’sveryrareforsomeonewhohasneversmokedtohaveSCLC.  Theriskoflungcancerforpeoplewhosmokeismanytimeshigherthanforpeoplewhodon'tsmoke.Thelongeryousmokeandthemorepacksadayyousmoke,thegreateryourrisk. Cigarsmokingandpipesmokingarealmostaslikelytocauselungcancerascigarettesmoking.Smokinglow-taror“light”cigarettesincreaseslungcancerriskasmuchasregularcigarettes.Smokingmentholcigarettesmightincreasetheriskevenmoresincethementholmayallowpeopletoinhalemoredeeply. Secondhandsmoke Ifyoudon’tsmoke,breathinginthesmokeofothers(calledsecondhandsmokeorenvironmentaltobaccosmoke)canincreaseyourriskofdevelopinglungcancer.Secondhandsmokeisthoughttocausemorethan7,000deathsfromlungcancereachyear. Ifyouorsomeoneyoucareaboutneedshelpquitting,seeHowTo QuitSmokingorSmokelessTobaccoorcalltheAmericanCancerSocietyat1-800-227-2345 Exposuretoradon Radonisanaturallyoccurringradioactivegasthatresultsfromthebreakdownofuraniuminsoilandrocks.Youcan’tsee,taste,orsmellit.AccordingtotheUSEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA),radonisthesecondleadingcauseoflungcancerinthiscountry,andistheleadingcauseamongpeoplewhodon'tsmoke. Outdoors,thereissolittleradonthatitisnotlikelytobedangerous.Butindoors,radoncanbemoreconcentrated.Breathingitinexposesyourlungstosmallamountsofradiation.Thismayincreaseaperson’sriskoflungcancer. HomesandotherbuildingsinnearlyanypartoftheUnitedStatescanhavehighindoorradonlevels(especiallyinbasements). Formoreinformation,seeRadonandCancer. Exposuretoasbestos Peoplewhoworkwithasbestos(suchasinmines,mills,textileplants,placeswhereinsulationisused,andshipyards)areseveraltimesmorelikelytodieoflungcancer.Lungcancerriskismuchgreaterinworkersexposedtoasbestoswhoalsosmoke.It’snotclearhowmuchlow-levelorshort-termexposuretoasbestosmightraiselungcancerrisk. Peopleexposedtolargeamountsofasbestosalsohaveagreaterriskofdevelopingmesothelioma,atypeofcancerthatstartsinthepleura(theliningsurroundingthelungs).Formoreonthistypeofcancer,seeMalignantMesothelioma. Inrecentyears,governmentregulationshavegreatlyreducedtheuseofasbestosincommercialandindustrialproducts.It’sstillpresentinmanyhomesandotherolderbuildings,butit’snotusuallyconsideredharmfulaslongasit’snotreleasedintotheairbydeterioration,demolition,orrenovation.Formoreinformation,seeAsbestosandCancerRisk. Exposuretoothercancer-causingagentsintheworkplace Othercarcinogens(cancer-causingagents)foundinsomeworkplacesthatcanincreaselungcancerriskinclude: Radioactiveoressuchasuranium Inhaledchemicalssuchasarsenic,beryllium,cadmium,silica,vinylchloride,nickelcompounds,chromiumcompounds,coalproducts,mustardgas,andchloromethylethers Dieselexhaust Thegovernmentandindustryhavetakenstepsinrecentyearstohelpprotectworkersfrommanyoftheseexposures.Butthedangersarestillthere,soifyouworkaroundtheseagents,becarefultolimityourexposurewheneverpossible. Takingcertaindietarysupplements Studieslookingatthepossibleroleofvitaminsupplementsinreducinglungcancerriskhavehaddisappointingresults.Infact,2largestudiesfoundthatpeoplewhosmokedwhotookbetacarotenesupplementsactuallyhadanincreasedriskoflungcancer.Theresultsofthesestudiessuggestthatpeoplewhosmokeshouldavoidtakingbetacarotenesupplements. Arsenicindrinkingwater StudiesofpeopleinpartsofSoutheastAsiaandSouthAmericawithhighlevelsofarsenicintheirdrinkingwaterhavefoundahigherriskoflungcancer.Inmostofthesestudies,thelevelsofarsenicinthewaterweremanytimeshigherthanthosetypicallyseenintheUnitedStates,evenareaswherearseniclevelsareabovenormal.FormostAmericanswhoareonpublicwatersystems,drinkingwaterisnotamajorsourceofarsenic. Riskfactorsyoucannotchange Previousradiationtherapytothelungs Peoplewhohavehadradiationtherapytothechestforothercancersareathigherriskforlungcancer,particularlyiftheysmoke.ExamplesincludepeoplewhohavebeentreatedforHodgkindiseaseorwomenwhogetchestradiationafteramastectomyforbreastcancer.Womenwhohaveradiationtherapytothebreastafteralumpectomydonotappeartohaveahigherthanexpectedriskoflungcancer. Airpollution Incities,airpollution(especiallynearheavilytraffickedroads)appearstoraisetheriskoflungcancerslightly.Thisriskisfarlessthantheriskcausedbysmoking,butsomeresearchersestimatethatworldwideabout5%ofalldeathsfromlungcancermaybeduetooutdoorairpollution. Personalorfamilyhistoryoflungcancer Ifyouhavehadlungcancer,youhaveahigherriskofdevelopinganotherlungcancer. Brothers,sisters,andchildrenofpeoplewhohavehadlungcancermayhaveaslightlyhigherriskoflungcancerthemselves,especiallyiftherelativewasdiagnosedatayoungerage.It’snotclearhowmuchofthisriskmightbeduetosharedgenesamongfamilymembersandhowmuchmightbefromsharedhouseholdexposures(suchastobaccosmokeorradon). Researchershavefoundthatgeneticsseemstoplayaroleinsomefamilieswithastronghistoryoflungcancer.(SeeWhatCausesLungCancer?). Factorswithuncertainorunproveneffectsonlungcancerrisk Smokingmarijuana Therearereasonstothinksmokingmarijuanamightincreaselungcancerrisk. Marijuanasmokecontainstarandmanyofsamecancer-causingsubstancesthatareintobaccosmoke.(Taristhesticky,solidmaterialthatremainsafterburning,whichisthoughttocontainmostoftheharmfulsubstancesinsmoke.) Marijuanacigarettes(joints)aretypicallysmokedallthewaytotheend,wheretarcontentisthehighest. Marijuanaisinhaledverydeeplyandthesmokeisheldinthelungsforalongtime,whichgivesanycancer-causingsubstancesmoreopportunitytodepositinthelungs. Becausemarijuanaisstillillegalinmanyplaces,itmaynotbepossibletocontrolwhatothersubstancesitmightcontain. Thosewhousemarijuanatendtosmokefewermarijuanacigarettesinadayorweekthantheamountoftobaccoused bypeoplewhosmokecigarettes.Thelesseramountsmokedwouldmakeithardertoseeanimpactonlungcancerrisk. It’sbeenhardtostudywhetherthereisalinkbetweenmarijuanaandlungcancerbecausemarijuanahasbeenillegalinmanyplacesforsolong,andit’snoteasytogatherinformationabouttheuseofillegaldrugs.Also,instudiesthathavelookedatpastmarijuanauseinpeoplewhohadlungcancer,mostofthepeoplewhosmokedmarijuanaalsosmokedcigarettes.Thiscanmakeithardtoknowhowmuchanyincreasedriskisfromtobaccoandhowmuchmightbefrommarijuana.Moreresearchisneededtoknowthecancerrisksfromsmokingmarijuana. E-cigarettes E-cigarettesareatypeofelectronicnicotinedeliverysystem.TheydonotcontainanytobaccobuttheFoodandDrugAdministration(FDA)classifiesthemas“tobacco”products.E-cigarettesarefairlynewandmoreresearchisneededtoknowwhatthelong-termeffectsmightbe,includingtheriskofdevelopinglungcancer. Talcandtalcumpowder Talcisamineralthatinitsnaturalformmaycontainasbestos.Somestudieshavesuggestedthattalcminersandpeoplewhooperatetalcmillsmighthaveahigherriskoflungcancerandotherrespiratorydiseasesbecauseoftheirexposuretoindustrialgradetalc.Butotherstudieshavenotfoundanincreaseinlungcancerrate. Talcumpowderismadefromtalc.Theuseofcosmetictalcumpowderhasnotbeenfoundtoincreaselungcancerrisk. Writtenby References TheAmericanCancerSocietymedicalandeditorialcontentteam Ourteamismadeupofdoctorsand oncologycertifiednurseswithdeepknowledgeofcancercareaswellasjournalists,editors,andtranslatorswithextensiveexperienceinmedicalwriting. TheAlpha-Tocopherol,BetaCaroteneCancerPreventionStudyGroup.TheeffectofvitaminEandbetacaroteneontheincidenceoflungcancerandothercancersinmalesmokers.NEnglJMed.1994;330:1029-1035. AmosCI,PinneySM,LiY,etal.Asusceptibilitylocusonchromosome6qgreatlyincreaseslungcancerriskamonglightandneversmokers.CancerRes.2010;70:2359–2367. BerthillerJ,StraifK,BoniolM,etal.Cannabissmokingandriskoflungcancerinmen:ApooledanalysisofthreestudiesinMaghreb.JThoracOncol.2008;3:1398-1403. CallaghanRC,AllebeckPandSidochukA. Marijuanauseandriskoflungcancer:a40-yearcohortstudy. CancerCausesControl.2013Oct;24(10):1811-20. CohenAJ,RossAndersonH,OstroB,etal.Theglobalburdenofdiseaseduetooutdoorairpollution.JToxicolEnvironHealthA.2005;68:1301–1307. DrachamCB,ShankarA,MadanR.Radiationinducedsecondarymalignancies:areviewarticle.RadiatOncolJ.2018;36(2):85–94.  EnvironmentalProtectionAgency.HealthRiskofRadon.https://www.epa.gov/radon/health-risk-radon#head.Lastupdated08/27/2018.AccessedMay20,2019.  HashibeM,MorgensternH,CuiY,etal.Marijuanauseandtheriskoflungandupperaerodigestivetractcancers:Resultsofapopulation-basedcase-controlstudy.CancerEpidemiolBiomarkersPrev.2006;15:1829-1834. KaufmanEL,JacobsonJS,HershmanDL,etal.Effectofbreastcancerradiotherapyandcigarettesmokingonriskofsecondprimarylungcancer.JClinOncol.2008;26:392–398. MalhotraJ,MalyezziM,NegriE,LaVecchiaC,andBoffettaP.Riskfactorsforlungcancerworldwide.EuropeanRespiratoryJournal.2016;48:889-902. MoirD,RickertWS,LevasseurG,etal.Acomparisonofmainstreamandsidestreammarijuanaandtobaccocigarettesmokeproducedundertwomachinesmokingconditions.ChemResToxicol.2008;21:494-502. ObedianE,FischerDB,HafftyBG.Secondmalignanciesaftertreatmentofearly-stagebreastcancer:Lumpectomyandradiationtherapyversusmastectomy.JClinOncol.2000;18:2406–2412. OmennGS,GoodmanGE,Thornquistetal.RiskfactorsforlungcancerandforinterventioneffectsinCARET,theBeta-CaroteneandRetinolEfficacyTrial.JNatlCancerInst.1996;88:1550-1559. U.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices.TheHealthConsequencesofSmoking—50YearsofProgress:AReportoftheSurgeonGeneral,2014.Atlanta,GA:U.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices,CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention,NationalCenterforChronicDiseasePreventionandHealthPromotion,OfficeonSmokingandHealth,2014. ZhangLR,MorgensternH,GreenlandS,etal.Cannabissmokingandlungcancerrisk:PooledanalysisintheInternationalLungCancerConsortium.IntJCancer.2015;136(4):894–903.  References TheAlpha-Tocopherol,BetaCaroteneCancerPreventionStudyGroup.TheeffectofvitaminEandbetacaroteneontheincidenceoflungcancerandothercancersinmalesmokers.NEnglJMed.1994;330:1029-1035. AmosCI,PinneySM,LiY,etal.Asusceptibilitylocusonchromosome6qgreatlyincreaseslungcancerriskamonglightandneversmokers.CancerRes.2010;70:2359–2367. BerthillerJ,StraifK,BoniolM,etal.Cannabissmokingandriskoflungcancerinmen:ApooledanalysisofthreestudiesinMaghreb.JThoracOncol.2008;3:1398-1403. CallaghanRC,AllebeckPandSidochukA. Marijuanauseandriskoflungcancer:a40-yearcohortstudy. CancerCausesControl.2013Oct;24(10):1811-20. CohenAJ,RossAndersonH,OstroB,etal.Theglobalburdenofdiseaseduetooutdoorairpollution.JToxicolEnvironHealthA.2005;68:1301–1307. DrachamCB,ShankarA,MadanR.Radiationinducedsecondarymalignancies:areviewarticle.RadiatOncolJ.2018;36(2):85–94.  EnvironmentalProtectionAgency.HealthRiskofRadon.https://www.epa.gov/radon/health-risk-radon#head.Lastupdated08/27/2018.AccessedMay20,2019.  HashibeM,MorgensternH,CuiY,etal.Marijuanauseandtheriskoflungandupperaerodigestivetractcancers:Resultsofapopulation-basedcase-controlstudy.CancerEpidemiolBiomarkersPrev.2006;15:1829-1834. KaufmanEL,JacobsonJS,HershmanDL,etal.Effectofbreastcancerradiotherapyandcigarettesmokingonriskofsecondprimarylungcancer.JClinOncol.2008;26:392–398. MalhotraJ,MalyezziM,NegriE,LaVecchiaC,andBoffettaP.Riskfactorsforlungcancerworldwide.EuropeanRespiratoryJournal.2016;48:889-902. MoirD,RickertWS,LevasseurG,etal.Acomparisonofmainstreamandsidestreammarijuanaandtobaccocigarettesmokeproducedundertwomachinesmokingconditions.ChemResToxicol.2008;21:494-502. ObedianE,FischerDB,HafftyBG.Secondmalignanciesaftertreatmentofearly-stagebreastcancer:Lumpectomyandradiationtherapyversusmastectomy.JClinOncol.2000;18:2406–2412. OmennGS,GoodmanGE,Thornquistetal.RiskfactorsforlungcancerandforinterventioneffectsinCARET,theBeta-CaroteneandRetinolEfficacyTrial.JNatlCancerInst.1996;88:1550-1559. U.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices.TheHealthConsequencesofSmoking—50YearsofProgress:AReportoftheSurgeonGeneral,2014.Atlanta,GA:U.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices,CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention,NationalCenterforChronicDiseasePreventionandHealthPromotion,OfficeonSmokingandHealth,2014. ZhangLR,MorgensternH,GreenlandS,etal.Cannabissmokingandlungcancerrisk:PooledanalysisintheInternationalLungCancerConsortium.IntJCancer.2015;136(4):894–903.  LastRevised:October1,2019 AmericanCancerSocietymedicalinformationiscopyrighted material.Forreprintrequests,pleaseseeourContentUsagePolicy. Causes,RiskFactors,andPrevention LungCancerRiskFactors WhatCausesLungCancer? CanLungCancerBePrevented? MoreInLungCancer AboutLungCancer Causes,RiskFactors,andPrevention EarlyDetection,Diagnosis,andStaging TreatmentforNon-smallCellLungCancer TreatmentforSmallCellLungCancer AfterTreatment BackToTop Close * Close Imageof Previous Next Close Close SelectAHopeLodge