Feb. 4 is broadly recognized as World Cancer Day, and this year, the deadliest variation of the disease is in the spotlight.
On Monday, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) published a study highlighting the alarming number of lung cancer cases among non-smokers throughout the globe. It details how adenocarcinoma, a lung cancer variation that occurs primarily in those who do not smoke, has become the most pervasive form of the respiratory ailment.
Air pollution is an “important factor” contributing to this unfortunate trend, French and Chinese researchers from the World Health Organization-backed agency say. In 2022 alone, 200,000 cases of adenocarcinoma were deemed to be linked to poor air quality, according to the IARC investigation published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal. It accounts for up to 70 per cent of cases in those who have never lit up a cigarette.
These researchers say that exposure to even small amounts of air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels could significantly increase a person’s risk of contracting this type of lung cancer. The dangers of air pollution and the need for clean energy sources to reduce lung cancer deaths were also recently highlighted by Dr. Joan Schiller, an American oncology expert.
The IARC study lead, Dr. Freddie Bray, says the research completed by him and his co-authors shows that there is a critical need for more extensive lung cancer monitoring to assess changing risks.
“Whether the global proportion of adenocarcinomas attributable to ambient air pollution will increase depends on the relative success of future strategies to curtail tobacco use and air pollution worldwide,” he specified in an interview.
On another note, lung cancer screening is essential to help catch the disease in its earliest stages. The American Lung Association’s State of Lung Cancer report completed last year found that only 16 per cent of people at high risk have been checked out. This organization is currently involved with a “Saved by the Scan” campaign to promote higher screening uptake.
The proportion of never-smokers diagnosed with lung cancer is on the rise, new global analysis suggests in @LancetRespirMed.
Explore the research ▶️ https://t.co/lJXjTedZen #WorldCancerDay @IARCWHO pic.twitter.com/0wE1XOosYN
— The Lancet (@TheLancet) February 4, 2025
Read more: Breath Diagnostics onboards new president and closes critical financing
Read more: Breath Diagnostics pioneers novel lung cancer breath test
Merck launches ‘Listen Close’ campaign on World Cancer Day
In addition to the esteemed new study from The Lancet, the Canadian arm of the major pharmaceutical company Merck & Co Inc (NYSE: MRK) (ETR: MRK) has used the global cancer awareness day to promote respiratory screening. The Union for International Cancer Control is the creator of this World Cancer Day initiative.
Merck Canada announced its Listen Close campaign on Feb. 4. It is being completed in conjunction with the debut of a new website that will provide residents of Canada with information and resources regarding lung health.
“With 1 in 14 Canadians at risk of developing lung and bronchus cancer in their lifetime, the urgency to take action for lung health has never been greater,” the Quebec-based branch of Merck said.
Thankfully, continued advancements are being made in the lung cancer diagnostics field with the potential to help save lives through accurate, high-speed, early-stage detection.
Emerging lung cancer screening technologies, such as the breath sample testing device developed by Breath Diagnostics or the blood biopsy screening tool created by Grail Inc (NASDAQ: GRAL), have been making healthcare specialists more optimistic in the fight against this awful disease.
rowan@mugglehead.com