What are the common causes of Lung Cancer?
Smoking The incidence of lung cancer is strongly correlated with smoking, with about 90% of lung cancers arising as a result of tobacco use. The risk of lung cancer increases with the number of cigarettes smoked over time. Among those who smoke two or more packs of cigarettes per day, one in seven will die of lung cancer. Pipe and cigar smoking can also cause lung cancer, although the risk is not as high as with cigarette smoking. While someone who smokes one pack of cigarettes per day has a risk for lung cancer that is 25 times higher than a nonsmoker, pipe and cigar smokers have a risk about five times that of a nonsmoker. Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemical compounds, many of which have been shown to be cancer-causing, or carcinogenic. The two primary carcinogens in tobacco smoke are chemicals known as nitrosamines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The risk of developing lung cancer decreases each year following smoking cessation as normal cells grow and replace damaged c
