Experts explain why cases of lung cancer are surging among Gen Z women

'We’re seeing a shift in trends'

Lung cancer is considered the second most common variety of the disease, amongst both males and females. However, lung cancer is often associated with older men, especially those who have a long history of smoking behind them.

This week, researchers from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have spoken out after observing a 20 per cent rise in lung cancer cases, especially amongst individuals born between 1997 and 2012.

Most striking, and deeply concerning, is the finding that a substantial share of women diagnosed with lung cancer report no history of smoking.

Delving into further detail on the finding, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Centre thoracic surgeon Dr Iona Baiu told USA Today: "Overall, the number of lung cancer incidences is slowly decreasing, but it’s not decreasing nearly as fast in women as men.

"We’re seeing a shift in trends now and seeing patients who are younger and patients who are never smokers, who we never used to see.”

The news outlet reports that scientists believe environmental factors may be the cause of this unsettling increase. These factors can include air pollution, genetic mutations, and radon exposure.

As reported by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon is an odourless, radioactive gas that forms when metals, such as uranium, thorium, and radium, break down in soil and rock and seep into homes.

Awareness campaigns targeted at this specific strain are predominantly directed towards men who smoke.

Cecilia Pompili, a thoracic surgeon, told The Guardian that clinical trials were made up of 65% male participants and that women were often left out.

"For so long, we didn’t think of lung cancer as a disease of young women and often haven’t even included them in clinical research trials," she said.

As a result, people are now finally starting to speak out against the risk of such gender and habit-specific campaigns, claiming that they could result in non-smokers receiving delayed diagnoses and treatment.

According to the American Cancer Society, the most common symptoms of the disease are a persistent cough, chest pain, unexplained weight loss, shortness of breath, and newly developed wheezing.

The NHS adds symptoms such as coughing up blood, aches and pains, and persistent tiredness to the list of symptoms.