Once a very rare disease: lung cancer!

Lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, is a major health problem affecting many people and families. It is now well known to arise frequently from tobacco use, although other risk factors exist. It was once so rare that doctors seeing a case thought they had encountered something exceptional in their careers. What happened to make it a public health problem?

The Industrial Revolution beginning at the end of the 18th century, machine-made cigarettes and mass marketing popularized smoking. Lung cancer consequently became almost a worldwide epidemic.

Smoking peaked particularly during the World Wars. Scientific studies revealing its harms were beginning to appear. Manufacturers launched public propaganda and advertising claiming the findings were disputed to protect sales. Posters depicted doctors and even babies. Their counterpropaganda and powerful lobbying found political support for a time, continuing serious harm to millions. Smoking-related lung cancer now causes 1.5 million deaths annually; unless smoking declines, this is projected in the 2020s to reach 2 million annually. Alongside other tobacco-control measures, overt cigarette advertising is banned in many countries. Many difficult steps remain to stop this harmful consumption entirely.

Striking smoking statistics:

• New-generation machines can produce 20 000 cigarettes per minute
• Every 1 cigarette sold earns its manufacturer 1 cent
• 3 or 4 million cigarettes mean 1 lung cancer death
• 1 smoker earns cigarette manufacturers an average of 10 000 dollars over a lifetime

As smoking continues at such high rates, lung cancer will remain our most discussed and written-about cancer. Some studies reported last year and detailed on our website offered hope to lung cancer patients. immunotherapy is the category of these drugs, through which we have updated our website’s lung cancer section.

Now let us examine every aspect of lung cancer together...