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Lung cancer in nonsmokers — who's most at risk

10:01 AM, September 9, 2008

Smoking may seem synonymous with lung cancer, but it isn't. Those who have never picked up a cigarette can still develop the disease and, in fact, 10% to 15% of cases are blamed on factors other than smoking. Now we have a clearer picture of the disease in nonsmokers.

In reviewing lung cancer cases among lifelong nonsmokers in North America, Europe and Asia, researchers with the American Cancer Society have established that:

  • Men are more likely to die of the disease than women, regardless of age or racial group.
  • Men and women are almost equally as likely to develop the disease at age 40 and beyond.
  • African Americans are more likely to die from the disease than are those of European descent.
  • Asians living in Korea and Japan, but not in the U.S., are more likely to die of the disease than those of European descent.
  • The disease doesn't seem to be rising among women in the U.S. (Again: The study was among nonsmokers — the rise among women smokers has been well-documented.)
  • The disease is more common in East Asian women than in other women.

Here's the full report — available to all at PLoS Medicine.

If you're looking for a personal account of a nonsmoker with the disease, check out the blog 2newlungs. It's about the daily — medical and nonmedical — life of Jerrold. He describes himself this way: "Former football player and never smoker who beat stage 4 BAC (lung cancer) and survived a bi-lateral lung transplant at Stanford University March 2007."

And of course, for all the statistics and information you could possibly want about the disease, there's the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute. Smoker or no, the disease is horrific.

— Tami Dennis

(The first words in this post were originally "Lung cancer." The intended word, "Smoking," has been substituted to correct that mistake.)

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Comments

Why did you not mention the causes of those 10-15% of lung cancer not caused by smoking? I think that would have made your article much more interesting and informative.

What's wrong with this sentence?

Lung cancer may seem synonymous with lung cancer, but it isn't.

hire a copy editor

I am pretty sure that lung cancer will always be synonymous with lung cancer.

"Lung Cancer may seem synonomous with Lung Cancer, but it isn't."

"Lung cancer may seem synonymous with lung cancer..."

At least synonymous, and maybe even identical. Good proof-reading, guys.

I guess nobody is home...

Lung cancer may seem synonymous with lung cancer, but it isn't.


You fail right off the bat.

"Lung cancer may seem synonymous with lung cancer, but it isn't."

NICE

Yeah, I goofed. I get it. I'm sorry! ... Many thanks to those who politely pointed out the error. (Somewat fewer thanks to those who did it less than politely -- but still, some thanks.) The error didn't get caught because, after posting, I foolishly took a day off. That won't happen again.

The idea that smoking is not synonymous with lung cancer is ridiculous. Turning the math around means 85 to 90 percent of lung cancers are due to smoking tobacco. The big message to the world should be that to avoid lung cancer don't smoke. Also, a cornucopia of other cancers are associated with tobacco use: renal cell carcinoma, bladder cancer, throat, esophageal, and sinus cancers are all linked with cigarette smoking. These do not nearly tell the complete story on how bad tobacco is. Any other message then that smoking or using tobacco in any form should be avoided is wrong.

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Tami Dennis, who takes the word "skeptic" to previously uncharted territory, is the Times' Health and Science editor. She's adamant that pitches promoting awareness days, weeks or months are, by their nature, non-stories. And, because she's an adult, she refuses to use words like "veggies," "tummy" and "yummy."
Rosie Mestel, deputy Health and Science editor, studied genetics before abandoning flies, fungi and DNA for health/medical writing. Her hero is the biologist Ernst Haeckel, whose jellyfish paintings inspired snazzy chandeliers. Her favorite toast-spread is Marmite, a British delicacy made of yeast extract. Her least-favorite word is "millenniums."
Melissa Healy is a staff writer for the Health section reporting from Washington D.C. Healy's a veteran of The Times' National staff, having covered the Pentagon, Congress, poverty and social welfare, the environment, and the White House before shifting to Health in 2003. She writes frequently about mental health and human behavior, about federal health policy, prescription medication and ethics in medicine. More wonk than wellness freak, Healy chooses to believe in the health benefits of coffee and wine, and considers water a better work-out medium than beverage.
Karen Kaplan covers genetics, stem cells and cloning. She and colleague Thomas H. Maugh II comprise about 25% of the unofficial MIT-Alumni-in-Journalism Club, and she is proud to have taken more math (5) than English (0) courses in college. Her contributions to Booster Shots will, she hopes, appear more frequently than postings to her mommy blog.
Thomas H. Maugh II has been a science and medical writer at the Times for 23 years. Before that, he was on the staff of the journal Science for 13 years. He has bachelor's degrees in English and chemistry from MIT and a doctorate in chemistry from UC Santa Barbara.
After a brief stint as a sports writer, Shari Roan turned to health journalism and has covered the topic for The Times for 18 years. She is the author of three books and the mother of two daughters, both teenagers who refer to her as a "health freak." She likes to jog, watch baseball and is very happy that dark chocolate contains some health benefit.
Jeannine Stein writes about fitness, sports medicine and obesity for the Health section. She’s a gym rat from way back and never met an elliptical trainer she didn’t like. Well, maybe one or two. She tempers exercise with a steady diet of reality television because she believes it’s all about balance.