Why do young women who don't smoke get lung cancer? The reason may not be what you think!

During the National Cancer Prevention and Treatment Publicity Week on April 22, TopMD's "Let's Meet the Doctor" held a live broadcast on the topic of lung cancer. This was an extraordinary live broadcast because "this lung cancer is not that lung cancer" - this live broadcast discussed lung cancer in women.

In our impression, middle-aged and elderly men with a history of smoking are at high risk of lung cancer. So why focus on female lung cancer? The editor does not drink alcohol, but this is because a doctor in China has discovered a phenomenon: in recent years, the incidence of lung cancer in young women who do not smoke has increased! More!

Professor Chen has conducted extensive research in the field of lung cancer over the years, guided by clinical problems. He has also published hundreds of articles in top international medical journals, many of which are subversive.

Among them, the innovative results of 16 articles have been cited 20 times in 10 different international lung cancer diagnosis and treatment guidelines, bringing valuable clinical experience to the international lung cancer field.

We have summarized the essence of this live broadcast. Today is Part (2). Did you watch Part (1) yesterday? Professor Chen Haiquan used his multiple studies to show that the incidence of lung cancer among non-smoking women in China has increased.

Maybe our female friends were so scared after watching the last episode that they hugged their little carp. You must be wondering why we "inexplicably" got lung cancer.

Is it because of secondhand smoke? Is it because of air pollution? Is it because of kitchen fumes? Today, let's analyze it with Professor Chen Haiquan. It may be different from what we think.

"Is it because of my husband's secondhand smoke?"

There is no doubt that smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer, and this has been proven by scientists all over the world.

But is it also because of secondhand smoke that young women who do not smoke get lung cancer? Some patients who often visit the outpatient clinic ask Professor Chen: "Is it because my husband always smokes and I smell the secondhand smoke?" You can think about this question: If this is true, why did her husband who smokes firsthand smoke not get lung cancer, but you did? Is secondhand smoke more harmful than firsthand smoke?

Of course, this is not to encourage everyone to continue smoking, but to say that this issue of lung cancer in young women is not necessarily true.

"Is it because of the kitchen fumes from cooking every day?"

This is also a question that patients often ask in outpatient clinics, and we need to think calmly when facing this question.

The housing conditions in old Shanghai in the 1980s were much worse than they are now. Many kitchens were shared, and several families often shared one shared kitchen. There were as many as three or four stoves in one kitchen. Whenever people cooked, the kitchen was full of smoke and you couldn't see anyone at all. But at that time, there weren't so many young women suffering from lung cancer.

After the reform and opening up, our living conditions have greatly improved, and kitchen hygiene has greatly improved. In the past, there were no range hoods at home, but now every home has a range hood and exhaust fan, so kitchen fumes must be much better than in the past. So in the past when conditions were poor, lung cancer did not increase, but now that conditions are better, it has increased. This is abnormal.

If it is true that kitchen fumes cause the high incidence of lung cancer, why aren't chefs a significant proportion of lung cancer patients? So we can't blame the high incidence of lung cancer on kitchen fumes, which is a bit far-fetched and the causal relationship is not obvious.

“Is that air pollution? The smog in Beijing is pretty bad.”

Please think about this: both smokers and non-smokers are exposed to the air, right?

Think about it again: Smokers don’t avoid air pollution just because they smoke, right?

Therefore, air pollution is not necessarily the reason for the high incidence of lung cancer among young non-smoking women.

So what is the truth behind the high incidence of lung cancer in young non-smoking women? This question is still under study. Professor Chen Haiquan's series of articles should arouse the awareness of medical workers and help them find the reason for the high incidence of lung cancer in young non-smoking women.

Etiology research is very important! Professor Chen plans to work with the School of Public Health of Fudan University to study the causes of high incidence of lung cancer in young non-smoking women. Let more young non-smoking women stay away from risk factors and lung cancer. Let us look forward to the results of this study being announced to the world as soon as possible!

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The medical science and patient education column produced by TopMD is broadcast simultaneously on the entire network in the form of short videos and live broadcasts. Hundreds of well-known domestic medical experts have been guests. It has targetedly popularized disease prevention and treatment knowledge online for patients and high-risk groups. Since its launch, it has been viewed 274,815,276 times on the entire network.

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