Who knew lung cancer had a racial component? UPI reports findings that I find amazing.
An estimated 57% of Asian-American women diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked, compared to only about 15% of all other women, according to a recent University of California-San Francisco study.
A Korean researcher named Kim reports:
In Korea, more than 85% of female lung cancer patients are non-smokers. As a result, increasing attention has been given to evaluating the effectiveness of lung cancer screening, or LCS, in traditionally low-risk populations in Asia.
As to why this might be the case:
The cause of this remains unknown, but suspicion is centered on genetic mutations developed during a person's lifetime rather than inherited, such as damage to a gene that codes for a protein known as EGFR, which prevents cells from growing too quickly.
This genetic damage is believed to be caused by environmental toxins including second-hand smoke and even fumes produced by high-temperature stir-fry cooking in rooms that lack proper ventilation.
Thus: Grok the wok.
