Pulmonary Cancer among non Smokers - Risk Factors

Abstract

Lung cancer remains the largest cause of cancer deaths worldwide and the overall 5-yr survival rate is only 15%. Approximately 85%–90% of all lung cancer deaths in the United States are caused by active cigarette smoking. The complex multifactorial determinism of lung cancer, the intertwining and mutual conditioning of the risk factors, acting either directly (carcinogenic) or indirectly as favoring the effect of the former (cocarcinogenic), demonstrates the need to know the causes and mechanisms of carcinogenesis. The detection and remediation of the factors leading to the malignant transformation of healthy tissue is the main way to prevent lung cancer. With lung cancer persisting as the leading cause of cancer mortality, research into the epidemiology of lung cancer in non-smokers should be an important public health priority.