Can non-smokers also suffer from lung cancer?
Answers
It's not just smokers who are at risk for lung cancer—about 20% of lung tumors develop in non-smokers. However, there are enough differences between the groups to almost consider them two different diseases, says Vincent Lam, M.D., a lung cancer specialist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. People with lung cancer who have never smoked tend to be younger than smokers (and former smokers) who get the disease, and are more likely to be women.
The tumors, too, are distinct, and tend to have different genetic mutations. About half of tumors in people who have never smoked have mutations that can be targeted by newer drugs. This may help explain why non-smokers with lung cancer tend to live longer than current and former smokers with the disease.
Researchers are still testing out all the different factors that can contribute to lung cancer in people who’ve never smoked. Some cases may never be explained, but here’s what is known so far.