Abstract
J Natl Cancer Inst . 2024 Nov 20
: djae299 . doi : 10.1093 / jnci / djae299 . Online ahead of print .
Elevated risk of lung cancer among Asian American females who have never smoked : an emerging cancer disparity
Scarlett Lin Gomez 1 2 , Mindy DeRouen 1 2 , Moon S Chen Jr 3 , Heather Wakelee 4 , Jeffrey B Velotta 5 6 , Lori C Sakoda 6 7 , Salmaa Shariff-Marco 1 2 , Peggy
Reynolds 1 2
, Iona Cheng 1 2
PMID : 39565906 DOI : 10.1093/ jnci / djae299
Abstract
Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality for most ethnic groups of Asian American females , including Chinese , Korean , Japanese , and Vietnamese Americans , a striking pattern given the exceedingly low prevalence of smoking among
Asian American females in the general population . Recent research demonstrates that among Asian American females diagnosed with lung cancer , the vast majority of patients have never smoked , as high as > 80 % among Chinese and Asian
Indian American females . Despite declining rates in lung cancer overall in the United States , rates among Asian American females who have never smoked appear to be increasing .
This Commentary articulates extant knowledge , based on studies in Asia , of a range of risk factors such as a family history of lung cancer , history of lung diseases including tuberculosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, exposure to cooking fumes and second‐hand smoke , and various putative risk factors . Unique mutational profiles at the tumor level , including higher prevalence of EGFR mutations among Asian populations , highlight the importance of tumor genomic testing of newly‐diagnosed patients . Additional research is essential, given the high burden of disease among Asian
American females who have never smoked , and limited knowledge regarding contributing risk factors specific to Asian American females , as the risk factors identified in Asians living in Asia may not apply .
© The Author ( s ) 2024 . Published by Oxford University Press . All rights reserved . For permissions , pleasee email : journals . permissions @ oup . com .