In recent years, pollution and other factors in India have led to a troubling trend of greater lung cancer rates in women than men. The findings further showed that smoking rates remained stable even when the percentage of female lung cancer patients grew. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi hosted the study, which spanned 10 years from January 2008 to March 2018.

Historically, lung cancer has been more common in men than in women. Still, the pattern seems to be shifting in numerous regions of the world in recent years, according to Dr. Anant Mohan, Head of the department of pulmonary medicine at AIIMS. The causes were alteration in smoking behaviors, exposure to environmental toxins and biomass, particularly in rural women. But the improved access to healthcare facilities had encouraged more women to seek medical attention Dr Anant stressed.

The recently unpublished study by the pulmonary department showed that non-tobacco exposures such as indoor air pollution, poor environmental quality, or urban air quality might have a role in women′s rising trend of lung cancer. The study found that squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) increased from 25.4% to 30.6%, while adenocarcinoma (ADC) increased from 9.5% to 35.9%. Better survival rates were found among the nonsmokers, those who were younger, primarily women, and more educated. They also had a higher prevalence of ADC, EGFR, and ALK mutations.

(Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/lung-cancer-rates-higher-in-women-than-men-study/94772766)