Introduction
According to new data, young and middle-aged women are diagnosed with lung cancer at higher rates than males, and scientists are baffled as to why. According to specialists, there is a dearth of understanding of how the disease affects women. The US government spends much less on research into this topic than on studies of a comparable nature conducted on men. “Most individuals will respond that breast cancer is the most common type of cancer that kills women. It isn’t. Lung cancer, please. Although lung cancer is a condition that affects women’s health, we must do more to raise awareness of it.
McKee, spokesperson of American Lungs Association attended the GO2 for Lung Cancer Conference this week. Experts and campaigners discussed discrimination against women with lung cancer and how to get more people to understand that this “hidden” women’s illness is a serious issue that claims the lives of roughly 164 women daily in the US.
An Old Age Disease
Lung cancer has always been seen as a disease of older men. According to McKee, in part because males were the early target market for cigarette firms. Since smoking is the main cause of lung cancer. Even the military rations of World War II included cigarettes. Until it became associated with female independence, smoking had mainly been taboo for women, according to historians. At that point, they started attracting the attention of tobacco firms as well.
However, they do not fully explain the rise in lung cancer among women. According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking rates have dramatically decreased over the past two decades. But the cancer rate among women has inversely grown especially among women who have never smoked.
About Research
According to research this week in the journal JAMA Oncology, women aged 35 to 54 received more lung cancer diagnoses than men of the same age did. Participants in this study had lung cancer diagnoses between 2000 and 2019. The fact that men are now experiencing a greater reduction in lung cancer cases than women is one of the contributing factors. According to the researchers, fewer males are exposed to carcinogens at work, but it also cannot explain the changes. A effort to increase financing for research into these variations is in part motivated by a dearth of knowledge about the factors influencing the gender trend in lung cancer. The goal is to uncover these factors so that public health authorities can focus on those specific problems.
Despite the fact that many of those women never smoked, research has shown that lung cancer cases have increased 84% in women over the previous 43 years while falling 36% in men. In actuality, women who have never smoked are more than twice as likely to develop lung cancer than males who have never smoked.
National Institute of Health
Studies demonstrate that only 15% of the National Institutes of Health’s money is designated for research focusing on women. Despite the fact that lung cancer kills more women in the US than breast, ovarian, and cervical cancer put together. According to data, lung cancer receives the least amount of research funding per death among the major malignancies. Numerous significant lung cancer studies excluded many women. Before to 1993, the majority of clinical trial testing likewise excluded women.
Conclusion
According to the American Lung Association, just 5% of those who are eligible for lung cancer screenings actually receive one. The studies demonstrating the gender differences in lung cancer are intended to inform medical professionals about how this disease affects women so they can be alert for it. People might also keep an eye out for lung cancer symptoms. If you have a cough that lasts longer than six weeks, are coughing up blood, are experiencing shortness of breath or hoarseness for several weeks, or have unexplained weight loss, consult your doctor.
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