Air pollution, exposure to secondhand smoke, occupational hazards, and indoor pollutants like cooking fumes are responsible for the rising cases of lung cancer, even among people who do not smoke, said experts on Thursday.
A recent research,
published in the Lancet's eClinical Medicine Journal, showed that the ratio of
lung cancer research output in India to global research output is 0.51.
The study revealed that
lung cancer develops 10 years earlier in India than in Western countries, where
the age of diagnosis ranges from 54 to 70.
It could also be the
result of India's younger population where the median age is 28.2 years,
compared to the US’ 38 years and China’s 39 years.
Speaking to IANS, Dr.
Shrinidhi Nathany from the Department of Molecular Hematology and Oncology at
Fortis Memorial Research Institute said increased lung cancer incidences among
non-smokers in Southeast Asia are also linked to high PM 2.5 levels.
Dr. Nathany added that
lung cancer affects “a large part of Indians due to passive smoking as well as
genetic /hereditary susceptibility”.
The doctor noted that
Delhi, also known as the pollution capital, and urban India's three-digit PM
2.5 levels significantly contribute to tumorigenesis -- the formation of
cancer.
Dr. Ashish Gupta, Chief
of Medical Oncology, at Unique Hospital Cancer Centre, also pointed out the
alarming trend of lung cancer cases in India “to factors such as air pollution,
exposure to secondhand smoke, occupational hazards, and indoor pollutants like
cooking fumes”.
To mitigate this growing
health issue, it is crucial to enforce stringent air quality regulations, raise
public awareness about the dangers of secondhand smoke and environmental
pollutants, and promote regular screenings for high-risk groups. to reduce the
incidence of lung cancer among non-smokers in India, the experts said.
Dr. Shrinidhi further
said that regular screening of predisposed individuals living in polluted
cities of the country, farmers exposed to harmful pesticides as well those
having strong personal and /or family history of cancers could help in early
detection, while stressing that being informed was the important thing one
could be for this issue.
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