What causes lung cancer?

What causes lung cancer?

Jay M. Lee (Surgical Director, Thoracic Oncology Program, UCLA) gives expert video advice on: What ethnicity has the highest incidence of lung cancer?; Can non-smokers get lung cancer?; Is the mortality rate high for those diagnosed with lung cancer? and more...

There are a multitude of causes for lung cancer, but by far the most common cause is smoking. And this results in 90% of the lung cancer causes. The other things that will lead to lung cancer include radon exposure, radon is a tasteless invisible gas that exists in the soil and rocks and it percolates into homes and buildings. Radon exposure will cause about 20,000 lung cancer deaths per year. Secondhand smoke will lead to about 3,000 cases of lung cancer. And finally, other causes for lung cancer include work related carcinogens such as asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a mineral that occurs naturally as a fiber but it is inhaled it will lead to carcinogenesis in the form of mesothelioma as well as lung cancer.