“While smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke are major risk factors, cases are now emerging in non-smokers as well. Factors such as genetics and environmental triggers may also play a role in deteriorating lung health,” the doctor said.
Urging people to take proactive steps in protecting their lung health, doctors asserted that early detection can save lives in the fight against this often silent disease.
Echoing the concern, Sunil Kumar K., lead consultant, interventional pulmonology, Aster CMI Hospital, said the biggest challenge of lung cancer is late diagnosis.
“Symptoms such as mild cough, breathlessness, or chest pain are often ignored or mistaken for other common conditions. By the time patients come to us, the disease is already in advanced stages,” he said.
