Lung cancer remains one of the most common and deadly cancers worldwide. In 2017 alone, researchers recorded nearly 1.6 million new cases among men and close to one million among women. What’s striking is that up to one in five of those diagnosed had never smoked. These numbers have made scientists rethink long-held assumptions about who’s at risk — and why.
Among non-smokers, a type called adenocarcinoma is the most frequently diagnosed form of lung cancer. It’s particularly common among women, accounting for nearly 60% of female cases and almost half of male ones. This growing pattern is leading medical experts to look well beyond cigarettes to uncover other causes hiding in plain sight.
