MANILA, Philippines - When someone is diagnosed with or dies of lung cancer, the first question people often ask is, “Was he or she a smoker?”
Although most lung cancers are caused by smoking, a 2007 review found that about 25 percent of lung cancer cases worldwide — accounting for over 300,000 deaths each year — are not attributable to tobacco use.
Another review revealed that lung cancer in never-smokers is more common in Asia, particularly in women. “Never-smoke” is a person who has smoked less than 100 cigarettes in his or her lifetime.
“Research has yet to establish what causes lung cancer in never-smokers, but secondhand tobacco smoke is probably responsible for about 20 percent of lung cancer cases in never-smokers,” says Dr. Ma. Belen Tamayo, president of the Philippine Society of Medical Oncology.
Air pollution may cause about five percent of lung cancer cases. Indoor air pollution like fumes from cooking oil and smoke from coal- or wood-burning stoves are known to increase lung cancer risk, particularly in Asia.
Lung cancer is the world’s leading cause of cancer death, claiming more lives than prostate cancer and breast cancer combined.
Data from the Philippine Cancer Society and Department of Health show that in 2005, lung cancer was one of the most common cancers among Filipinos of both sexes. It was by far the most common cancer among Filipino males and the third most common among Filipino women.
According to Tamayo, symptoms of lung cancer include persistent coughing, chest pain, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, wheezing or hoarseness, repeated pneumonia or bronchitis, weight loss and fatigue.
She notes that the only chance of cure, via surgery, is possible only in 35 percent of patients, and still the risk of recurrence is high despite surgery. “Prevention remains the best strategy,” Tamayo says.
Surgery, radiotherapy (use of radiation to kill cancer cells) and chemotherapy (use of cytotoxic drugs to kill cancer cells) may all be used in treating lung cancer. In addition to chemotherapy, a number of new agents are now available, targeting and blocking the cellular signals that promote proliferation of cancer cells.
One of these new targeted therapies is a certain class of drugs called EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKI). EGFR is a cell receptor that signals cancer cells to multiply and survive. One type of EGFR-TKI is gefitinib, a product of AstraZeneca — one of the world’s leading research and development pharmaceutical companies that focuses on cancer as one of its key therapeutic areas.
Tamayo welcomed the observance of World Lung Cancer Day every Nov. 17 as an opportunity for an open and honest discussion about the disease. She also lauded AstraZeneca for helping dispel myths and raise awareness about lung cancer.
As part of World Lung Cancer Day 2009, AstraZeneca is releasing a fact sheet to dispel common myths about lung cancer. The following are key points listed in the fact sheet.