Causes of Lung Cancer

There can be a lot of reasons for which one can get lung cancer; smoking being the most infamous one. However, there can be many other factors that can cause lung cancer in one. Let us take a look at the causes below – 1. Smoking – Cigarette smoking is one of the main causes for lung cancer. The contents of a cigarette are over 60 known carcinogens, including radioisotopes from the radon decay sequence, nitrosamine, and benzopyrene. Then we also have nicotine that kills the immune response of malignant growths. Most men in the developed world get lung cancer due to smoking, and consequently die for the same reason. Then passive smoking or second hand smoking can be another cause for getting this deadly cancer. It is said that those who live with a smoker has a 20% rise in the risk of getting lung cancer. US., U.K., Europe and Australia is increasingly at risk among those who are exposed to passive smoking.2. Radon Gas – Another leading cause for getting lung cancer is the exposure to radon gas. This is considered to be the second most common reason for getting lung cancer.  Radon gas is colourless and odourless and is generated by radioactive radium. This radium is the decay product of uranium. One cannot through natural senses be able to detect this gas and thus you do not know where it will attack you! 3. Air Pollution – The increasing pollution in our air is causing us to fall prey in the hands of lung cancer. With so many cars and other vehicles around us, carbon mono-oxide alone must have partially decayed our lungs. Then fine particulates (PM2.5) and sulfate aerosols, which may be released in traffic exhaust fumes, are associated with slightly increased risk. 4. Asbestos – This one can cause many lung diseases, lung cancer being one of them.  It is said that there is an effect between asbestos and cigarette smoking that leads to the formation of  5. Metastasis - When cancer cells from one tissue spread to other remote tissues in the body, it is called metastasis. According to "Archives of Pathology and Pulmonary Medicine", lung cancer in children is usually caused by tumours that have metastasised from other tissues.  Such type of lung cancer is called secondary. It has been found that Wilm’s tumor and Osteosarcoma are primary cancers that metastasised to the lung.Read to more articles about Causes of Lung Cancer.