Can non-smokers get lung cancer? Pulmonologist Dr Manish Kumar Aggarwal shares 5 preventive habits

Learn from a specialist about the misconceptions on who can develop lung cancer and the lifestyle habits for lowering lung cancer risk.

World Lung Cancer Day falls on August 1and aims to raise global awareness of lung cancer's early signs, detection, diagnosis, and treatment.

Several factors can increase susceptibility to developing lung cancer. While some, such as family history and genetics, are beyond your control, certain lifestyle-related vulnerabilities can be easily managed. The habits you adopt and the precautions you follow in your daily routine may help lower the risk.

Let's hear from a specialist who helped break down why your daily lifestyle matters and how it is instrumental in preventive health.

Dr Manish Kumar Aggarwal, principal director of chest diseases and interventional pulmonology at Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, shared five lifestyle changes that may support better lung health and help reduce the risk of lung cancer.

Before we discuss the habits that may support lung health, let's address a common misconception about who can receive a lung cancer diagnosis.

Are non-smokers also at risk of developing lung cancer?

Smoking is typically directly associated with lung cancer, creating the misconception that non-smokers are safe from the disease. But this is far from the ground reality.

We asked the pulmonologist to share a case involving a non-smoker, and he recalled one from his clinic in which a patient nearly ignored a seemingly ordinary but persistent symptom.

"Every World Lung Cancer Day, I think of Meera, a 47-year-old schoolteacher who visited my clinic a few years ago. A lifelong non-smoker, she believed her persistent cough was just a normal response to air pollution. 'It’ll settle,' she thought.”

He then revealed what happened after the symptom went unchecked for three months, as it had a very serious underlying cause: "Three months later, a CT scan showed early-stage lung cancer. Thanks to timely treatment, she made a full recovery and went back to teaching. Before leaving, she told me, ‘I almost ignored the one symptom that saved my life.’"

The pulmonologist drew an important inference from this case. He agreed, that while smoking still continues to be the leading cause of lung cancer, non-smokers are still getting lung cancer because of air pollution, secondhand smoke, indoor toxins, and genetics. So, not smoking does not guarantee complete protection. What you can do is adopt healthy practices and follow precautions to lower the risk.

What are the 5 lung-friendly habits?

Air purifier filters the pollutants in the air inside home. (AI-generated)

The pulmonologist listed five important practices to adopt, for both smokers and non-smokers:

1. Purify your indoor air:

• Most spend a large part of their time indoors.
• Beyond getting rid of secondhand smoke, ensure good ventilation in the kitchen while cooking.
• One should limit mosquito repellent coils, excessive incense, and smoke from burning biomass.
• Consider using a HEPA air purifier during months with high pollution levels.

2. Track the AQI

• Check air quality before going outside.
• On high-AQI days, move your workouts indoors.
• Avoid outdoor activities if possible during peak traffic hours, and wear a well-fitted surgical mask or N95 mask if you have to go out.

3. Keep your lungs active:

• You don’t need intense workouts to keep your lungs strong.
• A brisk 30-minute walk five days a week and doing simple breathing exercises like spirometry improves your lung capacity and helps oxygen circulation.
• Regularity matters more than intensity.

4. Healthy anti-Inflammatory diet:

• Eat a diet rich in seasonal fruits like guava, oranges, papaya, leafy green vegetables like spinach, nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts and flaxseeds, and whole grains like oats and brown rice.
• This antioxidant-rich diet helps fight cellular stress caused by environmental pollutants.

5. Never ignore warning signs of your symptoms

• A cough lasting more than three weeks, unexplained shortness of breath, coughing up blood, or sudden weight loss requires immediate attention.
• Most chronic coughs are not cancer, but early evaluation is the only way to be sure.

The expert's parting advice is based on something he hears often in his clinic: “As a pulmonologist, the hardest thing I hear is: ‘I wish I had come earlier.’” This regret suggests that one should not ignore unexplained symptoms; otherwise when it is detected, it is at a late stage.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.