Why is the prevalence of lung cancer increasing in China? Doctor: Mostly related to 4 reasons, need to be vigilant
In recent years, the incidence of lung cancer in China has gradually increased. In just one year in 2020, the number of newly diagnosed lung cancer patients in China reached 820,000 , and the number of patients who died of lung cancer was 710,000, ranking in the second place . No. 1 in the world . What kind of concept is this? This is equivalent to an average of 1.6 people suffering from lung cancer and 1.4 people dying from lung cancer every minute!
So the question is, why are more and more people diagnosed with lung cancer nowadays?
1. Aging population
The reason why China has gradually opened up second and third children is that due to the influence of family planning, the aging of Chinese residents is becoming more and more serious. Lung cancer is a disease that is more likely to appear in the elderly.
In just ten years from 2005 to 2014, the proportion of lung cancer patients over the age of 60 has increased from 41.2% to 56.2%. The incidence of lung cancer among the elderly in China has been rising, and it has been six times that of the total population. The average age at diagnosis was 58.3 years;
2, smoking can not be ignored
A large number of studies have shown that smoking is a high-risk factor for lung cancer. During the burning process of cigarettes, nearly 70 kinds of carcinogens and cancer-related chemicals are produced . They can damage the DNA of bronchial epithelial cells, activate proto-oncogenes, and eventually lead to cellular transformation, cancer.
And China is precisely the big country of tobacco production and consumption. Nearly 1/3 of the world's smokers come from China. The large smoking population has laid the foundation for the high incidence of lung cancer in China;
3. Industrial aspects
The rapid rise in China's economic level is inseparable from industrial development. But it is also because of this that lung cancer has become the most important type of occupational cancer . Nearly 10% of lung cancer cases are related to environmental and occupational exposure.
For example, long-term exposure to by-products of aluminum products, asbestos, coke ovens, ionizing radiation, formalin , etc., will increase the risk of lung cancer. In addition, serious industrial waste gas pollution will also increase the incidence of lung cancer;
4. Air pollution
The incidence of lung cancer in developed countries remains high. In addition to the industrial development mentioned above, it is also related to the development of transportation. After the combustion of petroleum, coal, internal combustion engine, etc. , harmful substances such as benzopyrene and carcinogenic hydrocarbons produced by asphalt road dust will cause air pollution.
In addition , smoking causes second-hand smoke, kitchen fumes pollution , etc., all of which have a loud and synergistic effect on the incidence of lung cancer.
In addition to the above factors , having a genetic family history of lung cancer and long-term chronic lung disease will also increase the possibility of lung cancer.
Moreover, in China, the early diagnosis of lung cancer is very difficult, because it often has no typical symptoms, and it is often difficult to detect with ordinary examinations. Therefore, more than 2/3 of lung cancer patients are faced with the situation of being diagnosed at an advanced stage.
Because of this, from a clinical point of view, the significance of regular screening of lung cancer is far more important than advanced treatment. Of course, this does not mean that everyone should be screened for lung cancer, but people who meet the high-risk conditions for lung cancer should go to the doctor regularly for targeted cancer prevention screening, which can not only comprehensively understand the health of the lungs, but also help as soon as possible. Find out lung cancer.