A startling revelation has emerged regarding lung cancer. A recent study has uncovered that lung cancer is rapidly spreading among the youth in India. What’s surprising is that most lung cancer patients are those who have never smoked.

The science journal ‘Lancet’ has published a study on lung cancer in Southeast Asia. It reveals that now lung cancer is rapidly spreading among non-smokers as well.

According to this study, this cancer is the third most common cancer globally. It reported that in 2020, over 2.2 million new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed worldwide, resulting in nearly 1.8 million deaths. In India alone, there were 72,510 new cases of lung cancer in 2020, and the disease claimed the lives of 66,279 patients that year. This disease accounted for 7.8% of all cancer-related deaths in India in 2020.

Rapid Rise Of Lung Cancer

The study reveals that the average age for diagnosing deadly disease in India is 10 years lower compared to Western countries. The average age diagnosis in India is 28.2 years. However, one reason could be India’s youthful population. In Western countries, this is typically diagnosed between the ages of 54 and 70. In contrast, the average age is 38 years in the United States and 39 years in China.

In India, this disease is spreading rapidly. In 1990, the lung cancer rate was 6.62 per 100,000 population, which increased to 7.7 in 2019. This means that in 2019, 7.7 people out of every 100,000 were affected by dangerous disease. During 1990 to 2019, this rate increased from 10.36 to 11.16 among men and from 2.68 to 4.49 among women.

It is surprising that now most lung cancer patients in India are emerging who have never smoked.

This study has revealed that 40 to 50 percent of  patients in India and 83 percent of female patients in South Asia had never smoked.

Dr. Kumar Prabhas, affiliated with Tata Medical College, wrote in this study that more than 50% of the lung cancer patients treated there were non-smokers.

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There are two reasons for this. First, passive smoking or secondhand smoking. Second, pollution. According to the study, every 10 adults in the workplace are affected by passive smoking.

This means that while you may not smoke yourself, people around you are smoking, causing their smoke to enter your body.

Additionally, non-smokers working in mines and factories also become lung cancer patients because harmful chemicals and gases penetrate their bodies while working in these places.

Urban Air Pollution Linked To Lung Cancer

The Lancet study reveals that air pollution in urban areas is increasing the risk of cancer among non-smokers. The study indicates that PM2.5 present in the air is the biggest risk factor. PM2.5 refers to particles of 2.5 microns or smaller.

PM2.5 present in the environment is considered the most dangerous. It is an extremely fine particle, much thinner than human hair by over 100 times.

These particles are so small that they can directly enter our bodies through the nose and mouth. Once they enter our bodies, they can affect the heart and lungs and have serious health implications. When the concentration of these particles increases in the air, not only does pollution worsen but our health also deteriorates.

In January this year, a study claimed that India has the highest levels of PM2.5 pollution globally. The study also asserted that Delhi records the highest concentration of this particulate matter. Furthermore, the study indicated that during the winter season, indoor air in Indian homes is 41% more polluted than outdoor air.

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