Common Causes of Lung Cancer

 

There are several causes of lung cancer to be well aware of. The one that usually comes to mind is smoking. When you smoke you are significantly increasing your risk of this type of cancer occur. The tar and nicotine that is found in cigarettes is very harmful to the lungs. Even if you don't smoke, you may be around people often that do smoke. That second hand smoke can be a cause of lung cancer as well.

Working in dangerous professionals where you are exposed to various materials can also increase your risk of lung cancer. For example, those that work in coal mines, around large amounts of chemicals, or that have worked with asbestos. Studies show that being exposed to asbestos can increase the risk of lung cancer by 9 times.

Genetics may play a role in the development of lung cancer. There are some families with a very strong history of it. However, in many of those scenarios there is also a strong history of the use of cigarettes so it hard to isolate which factors are the cause of the lung cancer. In some locations, there have been environmental factors found to be responsible for lung cancer.

These environmental factors include air pollution that is released from factories and from vehicles. Even with emissions laws in place, there is still a huge volume of it. Individuals that live in busy cities are more likely to be affected by lung cancer due to such factors. Certain types of mold can also lead to lung cancer, but the cases involving that particular cause are very small in number.

When someone has lung cancer, the cells inside of the lungs have been damaged. The lung tissue will start to show damage as well. Your body may initially be able to work hard to repair such damages. However, the body isn't able to keep up with the need for repairs. It has to focus resources on the other needs of the body. This can allow the cells that develop cancer to grow and to spread.