Due to pollution and other factors, researchers have found a concerning trend of lung cancer rates in India among women being higher than men in recent years. The research also revealed that, despite an increase in the number of female lung cancer cases, smoking rates remained stable.
New Delhi: Due to pollution and other factors, researchers have found a troubling trend of lung cancer rates among women in India being higher than men in recent years. The research also revealed that, despite an increase in the number of female lung cancer cases, smoking rates remained stable.
The study was conducted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi over ten years, from January 2008 to March 2018.
Historically, lung cancer has been more common in men than in women. Still, the trend seems to be changing in several regions of the world in recent years, according to Dr. Anant Mohan, head of the department of pulmonary medicine at AIIMS.
“The reasons are likely to be multifactorial, with changing smoking habits and exposure to environmental toxins and biomass, especially in women residing in rural areas, along with better access to healthcare facilities allowing the more female population to seek medical care,” he said.
Adenocarcinoma, or cancer that develops in glandular tissue, or ADC, increased from 9.5% to 35.9%, and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), or SCC, increased from 25.4% to 30.6%, according to the study.
ADC, EGFR, and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma kinase (ALK) mutations were more common in non-smokers, who were also younger, more likely to be female, and more educated. They also had better survival rates.
According to a recently completed unpublished study of the pulmonary department, records of patients diagnosed with lung cancer over 12 years — between January 2008 and March 2020 — revealed that non-tobacco exposures like indoor air pollution or poor environmental or urban air quality might contribute to the rising trend of lung cancer in females.
