Asian American women are getting lung cancer despite never smoking. It’s baffling scientists and leading to more research.

Lung cancer rates are dropping for every group except non-smoking Asian American women -- who have never smoked. Rates are actually increasing for this group. Researchers are baffled by it and it's led to a recent surge in research.

It was fall 2021, and Aurora Lucas had a stubborn cough and chest pain. However, her doctors dismissed the symptoms, telling her to drink hot water and honey. 

After three months of hospital visits, Lucas was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer at 28 years old, despite never having smoked. Lucas, who is Filipina American, represents a concerning trend for researchers. 

According to a California study, lung cancer rates are dropping for every group except nonsmoking Asian American women — for whom they’re actually increasing by 2% per year. 

While lung cancer is traditionally associated with cigarettes, as many as 20% of U.S. cases happen in never-smokers every year. Among Asian American women who have lung cancer, more than 50% have never smoked. And for Chinese and Indian American women who have lung cancer, the nonsmoking percentage rises to 80% to 90%. 

Scientists are baffled by this pattern, and it has led to a recent surge of research. In two ongoing blockbuster studies at the University of California, San Francisco, and New York University, they’ve been searching for reasons why Asian American women are at especially high risk and for ways to catch their tumors earlier.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/asian-american-women-lung-cancer-rcna138895

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