In the second of a six-part Health Matters wellness series on cancer in Hong Kong, Elizabeth Cheung examines the rise of lung cancer among women, the risk factors beyond smoking and growing calls for earlier detection.
Rates of new lung cancer cases among Hong Kong women have risen by 20 per cent in the past two decades despite their smoking less than men, a South China Morning Post review has found, prompting calls for citywide screenings to catch the disease earlier.
Experts said genetic predisposition and exposure to cooking fumes in poorly ventilated environments were among the factors behind the rise in the city’s most common and deadliest cancer, which is still primarily caused by smoking, among women.
“Smoking is always a major risk factor … some studies have found that some Chinese people, especially women, are genetically predisposed to developing lung cancer,” said Herbert Loong Ho-fung, an associate professor in the department of clinical oncology of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
“Housewives working in poorly ventilated kitchens, or those who use a lot of cooking oil – these are all risk factors.”
Experts emphasised that screening could help identify patients who were not exposed to traditionally recognised risk behaviours.