Lung cancer: “Epidemiology and risk factors”

Abstract

Bronchopulmonary cancers are common cancers with a poor prognosis. It is the leading cause of death by cancer in Algeria and in the world. Behind this unfavorable prognosis hides numerous disparities according to age, sex, and exposure to risk factors, ranking 4th among incident cancers and developing countries including Algeria, all sexes combined. It ranks 2nd cancers in men and 3rd among women. Whatever the age observed, the incidence of this cancer is higher in men than in women, however the gap is narrowing to the detriment of the latter. The results of scientific research agree to relate trends in incidence and mortality rates to tobacco consumption, including passive smoking. Furthermore, other risk factors are mentioned such as exposure to asbestos in the workplace or to radon for the general population, or even genetic predisposition. However, the weight of these etiological and/or predisposing factors is in no way comparable to that of tobacco in the genesis of lung cancer and the resulting mortality. We provide a literature review in our article on the descriptive and analytical epidemiology of lung cancer.