The main cause behind lung cancer remains smoking but it is also prevalent in persons who have never smoked. About 20% of people who have never smoked, get lung cancer. This can be due to other reasons like environmental factors and genes. Genetics can also raise lung cancer risk. Those who have a parent, or sibling who had lung cancer, it gets likely higher chance to get lung cancer than someone without a family history of lung cancer. Also, it does not mean that having a parent or sibling with lung cancer, can get you this disease. It is good to know your family history and discuss it with your healthcare professional. While most lung cancer cases are not related to inherited genetic risk, recent studies have shown that they may carry hereditary mutations that can increase cancer risk.
Genes and Lung Cancer
Genetic risk is likely to play its role in lung cancer for people who have never smoked and females. A study called “Genomics of Young Lung Cancer” showed that lung cancer in young people has different biological profile in comparison to other lung cancer groups. People who inherit increased risk of lung cancer, inherit only the risk and not the lung cancer itself. Also, not all people who inherit gene mutations get lung cancer diagnosis. Those with history of lung cancer, there is no such thing as a safe level of exposure to smoking. Being exposed to second-hand smoke also increases the risk of lung cancer. The occurrence of lung cancer among never smokers suggest familial aggregation of the disease independent of those risks.
It is vital to conduct more research in the arena of role of genetics in lung cancer risk to better understand the risks.
The information shared in this blog is for educational purposes only.
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