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Review
. 2020 Apr:148:102895.
doi: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2020.102895. Epub 2020 Jan 31.

Lung cancer in never smokers: The role of different risk factors other than tobacco smoking

Luis Corrales  1 , Rafael Rosell  2 , Andrés F Cardona  3 , Claudio Martín  4 , Zyanya Lucia Zatarain-Barrón  5 , Oscar Arrieta  6
Affiliations
Review

Lung cancer in never smokers: The role of different risk factors other than tobacco smoking

Luis Corrales et al. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2020 Apr.

Abstract

Lung cancer (LC), the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, is a complex and highly heterogeneous disease. Additional to its biological complexity, LC patients are often confronted with a high degree of stigma, mostly from the association of the disease with tobacco. Nonetheless, a proportion of LC patients are never-smokers, a population which we are beginning to comprehensively explore. Several risk factors have been linked to LC in never-smokers. Studies have consistently shown that radon exposure and domestic fuel smoke increase LC risk. Additionally, infections such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Human Papilloma Virus are also risk factors. Other less conclusive associations include inflammatory diseases such as asthma and sarcoidosis. Moreover, we are now aware that molecular characteristics of LC vary widely according to smoking history, with important therapeutic implications. This review comprehensively assesses the current knowledge in terms of risk factors and disease characteristics in the never-smoker lung cancer population.

Keywords: HPV; Never-smoker; Radon; Tobacco; Tuberculosis; Wood-smoke.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest Dr. Cardona reports grants from Merck Sharp & Dohme, Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb and The Foundation for Clinical and Applied Cancer Research – FICMAC., other from Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Astra Zeneca, MSD, BMS, Celldex, Roche, personal fees from Merck Sharp & Dohme, Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer, Novartis, Celldex Therapeutics, Foundation Medicine, Eli Lilly and Foundation for Clinical and Applied Cancer Research – FICMAC, outside the submitted work. Dr. Arrieta reports personal fees from Pfizer, grants and personal fees from Astra zeneca, grants and personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, personal fees from Lilly, personal fees from Merck, personal fees from Bristol Myers Squibb, grants and personal fees from Roche, outside the submitted work. All the remaining authors declare no conflict of interest.

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