A recent review examines lung cancer risk in women. SDI Productions/Getty ImagesResearchers recently published a review highlighting possible reasons why rates of lung cancer among women have remained higher in recent decades than those among men.
Various factors, including radon exposure, secondhand smoke, and indoor cooking, may explain this trend.
The researchers say that further research is necessary to understand the risk factors for lung cancer among women and that organizations should bear these in mind when updating screening guidelines.
A few decades ago, most cases of lung cancer occurred among men who smoked. Nowadays, however, women are more likely to receive a diagnosis of lung cancer than men, even if they do not smoke.
The reasons behind these higher rates of lung cancer among women are unknown.
Possible risk factorsTrusted Source include exposure to radon, indoor cooking fumes, genetic differences, and secondhand smoke.
Although women tend to have better outcomes from lung cancer than men, the higher rates among women highlight the need for more research into the risk factors.
Recently, researchers from Stanford University, CA, and the University of California San Francisco published an article summarizing potential lung cancer risk factors among women. They also looked at screening and diagnosis patterns and clinical outcomes.
The researchers found several differences between men and women, including the development of lung cancer, its screening process, its outcomes, and the treatment side effects.
They hope that other researchers and clinicians will pay attention to these differences to improve patient care as lung cancer rates among women remain relatively high globally.
“This is an excellent review article describing some of the known sex-based differences in lung cancer epidemiology and treatment tolerability,” Dr. Andrea McKee, spokesperson at the American Lung Association, told Medical News Today.
“The findings are not surprising to me, but I feel they will be surprising to the general public, particularly the increased association between HPV and lung cancer in women.”Although there has been an increase in lung cancer among people who have never smoked, the majority of people with lung cancer have a history of tobacco use.
