Lung Cancer conclusions

 Conclusions

Risk factors for lung cancer have been mostly understood and well characterized. Primary prevention of this disease therefore 

seems to be easy to implement by eliminating environmental hazards and smoking.

 Despite this, lung cancer remains the leading cause of death among malignant cancers in all highly developed countries. The causes of this

 phenomenon should be sought in the growing problem of environmental pollution,

 but above all in the difficulty of eliminating the addiction to smoking. In the prevention of lung cancer, the basic factor is not smoking. 

Tobacco smoke is the most common cause of lung cancer. It is worth noting that electronic cigarettes are also not recommended in the context of prevention. The lack of proper education means that young people continue to reach for nicotine-containing products, first e-cigarettes and then traditional cigarettes. However, nicotine addiction is extremely strong in many people, and eliminating the addiction using traditional methods (psychotherapy, nicotine replacement therapy, pharmacotherapy) turns out to be impossible. In such cases, reducing the health risk associated with smoking cigarettes can be achieved by replacing them with smokeless products containing nicotine. Many scientific studies have shown that aerosols from e-cigarettes and tobacco heating devices contain over 90% less carcinogenic substances than cigarette smoke [145].

However, it should be remembered that while the composition of the aerosol is known in tobacco heating devices, in the case of e-liquids, it can be modified by the owners of e-cigarettes or the companies producing them (this has been the cause of many cases of acute lung injury in people using e-liquids containing THC and vitamin E acetate). Therefore, in many countries (USA, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany), HnB devices have been defined as products with a reduced health risk compared to traditional cigarettes, and international experts issue cautious recommendations on the possibility of reducing the health risk in cigarette smokers by replacing them with tobacco heating products [146].

It has been proven that proper nutrition, with particular emphasis on vegetables and fruits, as well as regular physical activity have a positive effect on reducing the risk of lung cancer [147].

Preventive programs are also being carried out for people who are potentially at risk of developing this type of cancer. The screening test involves performing a low-dose computed tomography scan to detect lung cancer at an early stage [148].

To sum up, the vast majority of lung cancer

 cases are the result of inhalation of substances that promote their formation, e.g., tobacco smoke, car exhaust fumes and smoke from burning coal. Proper prevention of lung cancer and reduction

 in exposure to carcinogens increase the chance of staying healthy.

Ref

Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Feb 26;26(5):2049. doi: 10.3390/ijms26052049

Lung Cancer—Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Treatment and

 Molecular Aspect of literature 

 Beata Smolarz 1,*, Honorata Ł

ukasiewicz 2, Dariusz Samulak 3,4, Ewa Piekarska 5, Radosław Kołaciński 5, Hanna Romanowicz 1

Editor: Verena Trett