A troubling trend has been confirmed in the United States and the United Kingdom: since 2008, the number of lung cancer patients who never smoked has more than doubled. Now, nonsmokers account for about 28% of all non-small cell lung cancer diagnoses, compared to just 13% six years earlier. Our team of lung cancer lawyers report on this study and the types of lung cancer claims we are currently accepting.
The study containing these findings was conducted at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London and presented at the World Conference on Lung Cancer. Researchers found that women accounted for two-thirds of the nonsmokers diagnosed with lung cancer. Most of these patients had nonspecific symptoms when they were diagnosed, such as a cough or chest infections, and about 36% had no symptoms.
Another study conducted at several American medical centers showed similar findings. One medical center in particular, UT Southwestern, saw a two-fold increase in lung cancer diagnoses among nonsmokers since 1990.
What is so troubling about these findings is that no one knows exactly why lung cancer is increasing among nonsmokers. According to the American Lung Association, aside from smoking, other causes of lung cancer include:
- Radon exposure
- Asbestos exposure
- Other occupational exposures, such as uranium and coke fuel
- Environmental exposures
In fact, nonsmokers who work around asbestos are five times more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmokers who do not work with asbestos.
Notably, the combination of smoking and asbestos exposure greatly (50 times) increases the risk of developing lung cancer.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States, causing more deaths than breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers combined. An estimated 10% of lung cancers occur in people who never smoked. That is an extremely high number of people, considering more than 400,000 Americans living today have been diagnosed with lung cancer at some point in their lives.
That means more than 40,000 Americans alive today never smoked and were still diagnosed with lung cancer. Nearly everyone has been exposed to asbestos at some point in their lives, and experts agree that there is absolutely no safe level of exposure. Filing a legal claim against asbestos manufacturers can help you pay for your medical bills, lost wages and pain and
suffering. You do not have to know when, where or how you were exposed. It is our job to investigate your case to determine who may be responsible for your exposure.
If you or someone you love was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, contact lung cancer lawyers for a free case review. Our legal consultations are confidential, no-obligation, free, and available to concerned patients and families nationwide.
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