It is estimated that in Spain in 2022 30,948 new lung cancers will be diagnosed, 65 per 100,000 people per year. Of these, 22,316 were in men –96 cases per 100,000 men/year– and 8,632 in women –36 cases per 100,000 women/year–.
Lung cancer accounts for 13.9% of all cancers in men, being the second most frequent, while in women it represents 7.2% of all cancers, already being the third most frequent after breast and colorectal.
Between 2002 and 2020, the incidence of lung cancer in women in Spain has doubled, from 13.4 to 29.7 annual cases per 100,000 women. Mortality has also doubled, going from 10.6 annual deaths per 100,000 women in 2002 to 19.8 deaths in 2020, already the third deadliest. In the same period, on the contrary, both the incidence –from 123 to 99 cases– and mortality – from 104.1 to 76.48 deaths – decreased in men, although it continues to be the deadliest, responsible for 24.9 % of all cancer deaths among males.
Although not all lung cancers can be prevented, steps can be taken to reduce the risk of developing it.. The most important is not to start smoking or, if you already smoke, to quit and avoid secondhand smoke.
They demand to approach lung cancer with a more gender perspective
However, despite the fact that tobacco continues to be the main cause of lung cancer, an increase in the incidence of cases caused by environmental or genetic causes is being detected. Dolores Isla, President of the Association for Research on Lung Cancer in Women (ICAPEM), indicates that “this increase is especially significant among women, since 30% of lung cancer diagnoses in women occur in non-smokers.” ». This percentage doubles that of men and this means that 2 out of 3 non-smokers and people with lung cancer are women.
This is causing the profile of the lung cancer patient to be changing.
Faced with this situation, ICAPEM insists on the need to study in depth all the factors that increase the risk of lung cancer.
In addition, they demand that, taking into account the changing situation, lung cancer be addressed with a more gender perspective. This would mean taking more account of the increase in cases in women and also giving more importance to research and prevention of those triggering factors that affect women the most.. This gender perspective would also imply adapting treatment to the biological and sociological characteristics of women and including more women in clinical trials.
Both REDECAN and SEOM insist on making homes and cars smoke-free and encourage supporting anti-smoking workplace policies, avoiding exposure to known cancer-causing agents in the workplace and elsewhere First, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables whether you’re a smoker or not, and find out if you’re exposed to radiation from naturally high levels of radon in your home and take steps to reduce them.