lung cancer; The deadliest cancer in Iran and the world

The head of the 12th International Congress of Lung Diseases and Special Care warned about the increasing share of air pollution in the incidence of lung diseases, the observation of lung cancer at a younger age and the emergence of new threats caused by electronic cigarettes.

Stating that one of the areas that causes the greatest damage to people's health is air pollution and tobacco, Dr. Mustafa Ghanei pointed out the emergence of new health threats, including electronic cigarettes with various flavors, and at the same time warned about the significant increase in the share of air pollution in the occurrence of lung diseases as well as the decrease in the age of lung cancer.

Stating that no cancer in Iran and the world is more deadly than lung cancer, he said: Lung diseases are spreading, which is also due to the industrialization of the society, so that maybe we did not see some lung diseases until 50 years ago, but today we are witnessing their spread.

Qanei warned against the reduction of the age of occurrence of cancers, pointed to the increasing trend in the supply of electronic cigarettes with more than two thousand flavors and said: these cigarettes have many risks for the health of young people and the users of these cigarettes. On the other hand, the prevalence of obstructive lung diseases in women is increasing, which can threaten the health of future generations.

Stating that obstructive lung diseases are the fourth leading cause of death in Iran, he said: Among cancers, lung cancer is the leading cause of death and no cancer is more deadly than lung cancer. In this regard, they have been able to diagnose the disease earlier with screening in the whole world, but no one has been able to eradicate it. In total, 30% of cancers in Iran are related to tobacco, and these cases can be prevented and eliminated.

He added: "In this congress, we will investigate new harms to health; One of the most important of them is the field of air pollution and the other is cigarettes and tobacco with new technologies. This issue has created two issues; First, it increases the extent of use among young people, and second, while doctors are already familiar with the diseases caused by traditional cigarettes, the new additives create emerging diseases that doctors need to know how to treat.

He continued: According to this, the person who gets a lung specialist today must be familiar with completely new issues. There are also other points that are specific to Iran and other countries do not have them; For example, the use of opium (opium) and hookah. Previously, almost all obstructive lung diseases (i.e. blockage of the airways) were caused by smoking. But today we see that the share of cigarettes has decreased; Not in the sense that smoking has not increased, but there are other factors that contribute 50% to the development of lung diseases; including industry and air pollution. Air pollution has now contributed to the point where it causes effects similar to smoking in the lungs.

The professor of lung diseases stated: If we doubted before that air pollution causes lung blockage but does not cause cancer, last year it was proved that lung cancer also increases with air pollution. These are the points that people should know.