WebMD: Why Are Women Who Never Smoked Getting Lung Cancer?
By Keri Wiginton
Cigarette smoking is, by far, the top cause of lung cancer. But about 15% to 20% of cases in the U.S. happen in never-smokers -- people who’ve never lit up or smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their life.
In the U.S., women make up about two-thirds of lung cancer cases in never-smokers, says Alice Berger, PhD, a laboratory researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
That’s unusual. Cancer is generally more common among men.
