What are the common causes of lung cancer? These 5 factors are very likely to induce lung cancer

Expert introduction: Lung cancer is a very common primary malignant tumor. Especially in the past 50 years, the incidence and mortality rates in various countries have shown a clear upward trend. It can be said that the incidence of lung cancer is inseparable from people's living environment and bad behaviors, such as smoking and environmental pollution. The following is an introduction to the causes of lung cancer:

1. Smoking

Numerous studies have shown that smoking is the primary cause of the progressive increase in lung cancer mortality. Benzopyrene, nicotine, nitrosamines and a small amount of radioactive elements such as polonium in smoke are all carcinogenic, especially squamous cell carcinoma and undifferentiated small cell carcinoma. Compared with non-smokers, smokers have an average risk of lung cancer that is 4 to 10 times higher, and heavy smokers have a risk that is 10 to 25 times higher.

Passive smoking or environmental pollution is also one of the causes of lung cancer. The risk of lung cancer in non-smoking wives whose husbands smoke is twice that of wives in non-smoking families, and the risk increases with the amount of smoking by the husband.

(II) Occupational carcinogens

Occupational factors that have been confirmed to cause lung cancer in humans include asbestos, arsenic, chromium, nickel, beryllium, coal tar, mustard gas, trichloromethyl ether, chloromethyl methyl ether, heating products of tobacco, and radon and radon protons produced by the decay of radioactive substances such as uranium and radium, ionizing radiation and microwave radiation. These factors can increase the risk of lung cancer by 3 to 30 times. Among them, asbestos is a recognized carcinogen. The incidence of lung cancer, pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma in those exposed to it is significantly increased, and the incubation period can be up to 20 years or longer. The lung cancer mortality rate of smokers exposed to asbestos is 8 times that of non-exposed smokers.

3. Air pollution

Air pollution includes indoor micro-environment and outdoor macro-environment pollution. Passive smoking, fuel combustion and cooking in indoor environment may produce carcinogens. Data show that using coal indoors, contact with coal smoke or its incomplete combustion products are risk factors for lung cancer, especially for female adenocarcinoma. The oil smoke released by heating during cooking is also a carcinogenic factor that cannot be ignored. In the atmosphere of heavy industrial cities, there are carcinogens such as 3,4-benzopyrene, arsenic oxide, radioactive substances, nickel, chromium compounds and non-combustible aliphatic hydrocarbons.

(IV) Ionizing radiation

Large doses of ionizing radiation can cause lung cancer. Different radiation has different effects. For example, the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, Japan, released neutrons and alpha radiation, while the atomic bomb in Nagasaki released only alpha radiation. The former has a higher risk of lung cancer than the latter. In 1978, the United States reported that about 49.6% of the ionizing radiation in the general population came from nature, 44.6% from medical exposure, and 36.7% from X-ray diagnosis.

5. Diet and Nutrition

Some studies have shown that people who eat less vegetables and fruits containing beta-carotene have a higher risk of lung cancer. People with low levels of beta-carotene in their serum also have a higher risk of lung cancer. Epidemiological survey data also show that eating more green, yellow and orange vegetables and fruits containing beta-carotene and foods containing vitamin A can reduce the risk of lung cancer. This protective effect is particularly evident for current or former smokers.

Traditional Chinese medicine also includes emotional factors in its explanation of the causes of lung cancer. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that emotions can cause liver depression and qi stagnation in the human body. Long-term accumulation will eventually lead to the formation of lung cancer. Therefore, in the prevention of lung cancer, sufficient attention should also be paid to the emotional aspect.