One in three patients are non-smokers

In Spain, the lung cancer It is the third most diagnosed tumor. For this 2024, a total is expected 32,768 lung cancer diagnosesaccording to data from the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM).

If we differentiate by sex, in men will be the third most common 22,483 diagnoses (behind prostate and colon cancer) and in women It will also be the third most common with 10,285 diagnoses, far behind, of course, breast and colon tumors.

According to SEOM data, lung cancer in women continues to rise compared to previous years and is consolidated as the third most common tumor in women in 2024.

“While the incidence has been stabilized in men, in women it is growing at an average rate of one 4.4% per year“, he told laSexta.com Dr. Diego Marquez, medical oncologist of the Reina Sofia University Hospital (Córdoba) and member of the board of directors of the Association for the Research of Lung Cancer in Women (ICAPEM).

“To give you an idea, in 2002 there were 13.4 cases per 100,000 women, while in 2020 there were almost 30 cases per 100,000,” adds the doctor, on the occasion of European Lung Cancer Week.

One of those responsible for this increase in the incidence of lung cancer in women is the tobaccosince previous generations started smoking much later than them. Thus, they comment that “the increase in lung cancer cases in women has been occurring for about two decades and is worrying.”

One of the main causes – explains the oncologist – is “the increase in the smoking habit that occurred among women in the 1970s and 1980s and whose long-term effects we are now seeing.” In addition, “campaigns and awareness-raising and prevention actions to stop smoking have historically been directed towards men, giving a false sense of security to women,” they argue.

What are the symptoms for detecting lung cancer?

Lung cancer has a big handicap, and that is that Symptoms usually do not appear until the tumor is advanced.In this sense, “screening programs could be of great help in detecting tumors at earlier stages,” explains Dr. Márquez. When the tumor is diagnosed at early stages, the chances of treatment and cure are much greater.

Likewise, when carrying out these screenings, the expert comments, it would be very useful to take into account genetic factors that can make us more prone to lung cancer, something that would be especially useful in women, since One in three lung cancer patients are non-smokers.

In this way and as also explained by ICAPEM in the article The reasons for the worrying increase in lung cancer diagnoses, beyond tobaccoamong the non-smoking population, the causes or reasons that could be behind are factors such as radon -which seems to be the main risk factor-, air pollution, asbestos, or even genetic causes. The hereditary component also seems to play a relevant role.

As for the lung cancer symptomsthere are several that could put us on notice. As Márquez lists, they would be the following:

• Persistent cough that does not resolve with treatment and lasts for weeks.
• Presence of blood when coughing.
• Back pain for which we find no explanation.
• Very rapid weight loss that is not caused by a change in habits.
• Difficulty breathing.

However, “it is important that we keep in mind that These symptoms are not exclusive to lung cancer. and they can be caused by other pathologies (some of them very mild), so we must be alert, but without obsessing,” advises the oncologist.

It is important to avoid risk factors

When it comes to developing a tumor, there are no special differences between men and women. “What exists are differences in tumor behavior depending on their histological and molecular profile, and this is often associated with sex and smoking,” explains Dr. Márquez.

It is therefore important to bear in mind that “the only requirement to have lung cancer is to have lungs. Therefore, we should never think that, because we are not the most common patient profile (male, older and smoker), we are 100% safe.”

In this way and as a society, it is important that “we become aware of the importance of avoiding those habits that increase the risk and smoke It is the main one of them,” says the doctor.

Although, “we must also try to not to be passive smokers and not to expose ourselves to radon and other toxins“And, of course, we must take care of our immune system through rest, diet and exercise,” adds the doctor.

Finally, concludes Márquez, it is essential that “we realize ourselves medical check-ups with some frequency, while still making responsible use of healthcare resources.”