What causes Lung Cancer ?

Lung Cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the Lung. This growth leads to metastasis, which is the spreading of a disease from one organ to another non-adjacent organ or part. Cancer Cells has the tendency to break away, spill or leak from a Primary Tumor, and enter the blood stream and circulate through it and then settle down and grow within normal tissues on other organs or parts of the body. Lung Cancer causes most of the cancer death across the globe and ahs even surpassed the number of Breast cancer Deaths in woman. It is largely a disease, which affects elderly. Almost 70% patients diagnosed with Lung Cancer are over 65 years of age. According to a survey conducted by U.S. National Cancer Institute, approximately one out of 14-15 men and women in America are diagnosed with this deadly cancer at some point of their life.

Causes of Lung cancer:

• • Smoking: Cigarette smoking is the biggest cause of Lung Cancer with almost 90% of people acquiring it because of cigarettes. Lung Cancer is more likely to affect people who start smoking at a young age and more you smoke, more the risk increases. Pipe and Cigar smoking can also cause it though the risk is not that high as in case of cigarette smoking.
  • Passive Smoking: You can also acquire lung cancer if you are a passive smoker. Inhaling and breathing in other person’s smoke can slightly increase your chances of getting Lung Cancer.
  • Asbestos Fibers: People who have extended and prolonged contact and exposure to asbestos have a higher risk of Lung Cancer. The risk increases if they are smokers. Asbestos and tobacco smoke act together to increase the risk. People who work closely with asbestos and smoke have 50 to 90 times greater risk than their counterparts who are nonsmokers.
  • Radon gas: In some parts of United Kingdom, a naturally occurring gas, Radon gas, has known to be a cause of lung cancer. This is a natural and chemically inert gas that is formed by decayed Uranium.