#Lungcancer

Doctors and researchers warn that lung cancer is being grossly undercounted across sub‑Saharan Africa — a “hidden epidemic” masked by weak death registration, frequent misdiagnosis as tuberculosis, and late presentation — and the lessons have direct relevance for Thailand as tobacco companies pivot to low‑ and middle‑income markets and non‑communicable diseases rise in importance (NPR report on hidden epidemic). The global toll of lung cancer remains enormous: roughly 1.8 million deaths a year, making it the single deadliest cancer worldwide (IARC/GLOBOCAN global lung cancer data). The mismatch between apparent low lung‑cancer rates in much of Africa and what clinicians are seeing on the ground highlights how gaps in diagnosis, data and health systems can hide a growing threat that also matters for Thailand’s health planners and communities.

A sharp rise in lung cancer diagnoses among nonsmokers is changing the landscape of cancer research and prompting urgent questions about why this historically rare occurrence is now alarmingly common. Recent headlines underscore both a surge in cases and the mysteries that still shroud this deadly disease, with many lung cancers in nonsmokers having no obvious cause and frequently discovered by chance The New York Times.

While lung cancer has long been synonymous with tobacco use, a significant share of new patients are now individuals who have never smoked. The transformation is confounding both clinicians and the public, making it an important concern for readers in Thailand as well as globally.

A groundbreaking study from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has established a direct link between exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) and an increase in genetic mutations found in lung cancers among individuals who have never smoked—a development with profound implications for global health and for air quality management in Thailand. The newly released research, which represents a significant advance in our understanding of the environmental roots of lung cancer, raises fresh concerns about urban pollution and the invisible risks it poses, particularly for non-smoking populations.