Lung cancer rates among “never smokers,” specifically Asian women, are on the rise, KING 5 reports.
Smoking is still the number one cause of lung cancer in the United States, but researchers are investigating why people who say they never smoke are getting lung cancer.
The UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center is investigating why the rates are increasing among non-smoking Asian women, ABC 10 reports. Hundreds of Asian women have submitted their DNA for research into possible genetic explanations.
“We’re doing the research to find the genetic factors or mutations in these cancers,” Clifford Tepper, the co-director of UC Davis’ Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Genomic Shared Resource, told ABC 10.
Dr. Sid Devarakonda who works at The Swedish Cancer Institute told KING 5 says he is also examining possible genetic factors that would explain why Asian women are disproportionately impacted.
Dr. Devarakonda added that prognosis has improved for lung cancer patients over the last ten years.
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