Lung cancer in never smokers: a new hot area of research.

摘要

The general and nearly correct perception is that lung cancer is mostly a disease induced by tobacco smoking. However, 10% of all patients with lung cancer worldwide do not report smoking tobacco ever (or under 100 cigarettes) in their life time.1 In some parts of the world, particularly in Asia, the proportion of patients with lung cancer who report no significant history of tobacco smoking is probably around 30-40%. About a decade ago, clinicians managed this subset of lung cancer the same as tobacco-induced lung cancer, and it was not a popular topic for research. Very little was known about the molecular genetics of lunq cancer in never smokers.