Lung Cancer Diagnoses Surge in Younger, Never-Smoking Women, Raising Questions About Screening Guidelines
CHICAGO – A growing number of women are being diagnosed wiht lung cancer despite never having smoked, and current screening guidelines are missing many of these cases, according to new research and accounts from patients and oncologists. The trend is prompting calls for a reevaluation of who is eligible for potentially life-saving lung cancer screenings.
Currently, lung cancer screening recommendations primarily focus on long-term smokers, leaving a meaningful portion of the population vulnerable to late-stage diagnoses. Researchers are now questioning whether broader screening criteria are needed to capture the rising incidence of lung cancer in individuals with no smoking history, particularly women.”Ther aren’t clear environmental factors, we’re not seeing that it’s radon or secondhand smoke or anything specific that’s leading to these mutation-driven lung cancers,” said Dr.Lecia Yu, a thoracic oncologist at Northwestern Medicine. “But there are probably factors that we don’t know in our modern-era world that are affecting both lung cancer but also other cancers, like GI cancers and other cancers that we’re seeing on the rise.”
A recent study led by Dr. Rohan Bharat demonstrated the potential impact of expanded screening.Modeling the results, researchers found that including individuals who smoked a pack a day for 10 years and were ages 40 to 85 could increase cancer detection rates to 62%. A global approach, screening all adults in that age group regardless of smoking status, could detect 94% of cancers. “Having such a universal programme would not only capture a majority of these patients, but we would be able to detect most of these patients at an earlier stage, which would dramatically improve the long-term survival as a whole population, with regards to lung cancer,” Bharat said.
Danielle Hoeg, 43, of chicago, received a lung cancer diagnosis last year despite never having smoked. “I just didn’t believe it,” Hoeg said. Her case highlights the urgency of addressing the gaps in current screening protocols. Kara Goodwin, a 38-year-old marathon runner, was also diagnosed with lung cancer despite a healthy lifestyle and no smoking history. She ran the new York City marathon in November, but her diagnosis underscores the fact that lung cancer can affect anyone.
The increasing incidence of lung cancer in non-smokers is a complex issue, and researchers are working to identify potential environmental or genetic factors that might potentially be contributing to the trend. For now, advocates and medical professionals are pushing for a broader discussion about who should be screened, and when, to improve outcomes for all patients.
