Lung cancer found among non‑smokers; experts urge regular screening

Health experts and advocates debunked the notion that lung cancer is only a smoker’s disease, warning that stigma delays diagnosis amid cases seen among non‑smokers

“The stigma prevents Filipinos from going and having regular checkups,” Emerito L. Rojas, president of the Lung Health Alliance of the Philippines, said during a lung cancer awareness month media briefing last Friday.

“We have to do more because of this stigma.”

Mr. Rojas, who is also a cancer survivor, said there is a need for a public awareness campaign to urge Filipinos to get regularly screened for lung cancer, both smokers and non-smokers.

Nearly 23,000 Filipinos die annually due to lung cancer, making it the second most fatal type of cancer after breast cancer, according to a 2022 Global Cancer Observatory report.

Of these fatalities, Mr. Rojas said that around 20% are non-smokers, indicating a need for lung cancer screening beyond smokers.

For non-smoking-related lung cancer cases, ongoing studies have found the disease to be more prevalent among women, said Dr. Soon Sing Yang, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at the Heart Center in Malaysia.

“(It is caused by) more of the environmental factors (such as) pollution, and they’re more exposed to cooking fuels,” Mr. Soon said in the briefing.

The chance of getting lung cancer among women also increases if there is a family history of cancer, he added.

This makes cancer screening critically important, as lung cancer symptoms often emerge only in its later stages.

When detected early, such as at Stage 1, the cure rate can reach up to 80 percent, Mr. Soon said.

According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), annual cancer screening is recommended for people who have at least a 20 pack‑year smoking history, which means smoking one pack of cigarettes per day for 20 years, or two packs per day for 10 years.

It is also recommended for people who are currently smoking or who have quit within the past 15 years, and for those aged between 50 and 80 years old.

The CDC said the only recommended lung cancer screening test is the low-dose computed tomography, where a patient lies on a table and an x-ray machine shows detailed images of the lungs.

United Senior Citizens Party-list Representative Milagros Aquino-Magsaysay also urged dismantling the stigma surrounding the disease. She called on the government to expand screening and strengthen referral systems to cater especially to the most vulnerable.

“We need reliable imaging, pathology, and molecular testing across regions, with capacity-building and standardized protocols to ensure patients receive the right treatment at the right time,” Ms. Magsaysay said.

In terms of helping patients access treatment, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) is urged to include lung cancer in its Z benefits package, much like how it does with breast cancer with ₱1.4 million coverage, said Dr. Antonio B. Ramos, president of the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute.

Despite the disease being one of the top causes of mortality, it is not yet covered in the current list of PhilHealth’s Z benefits package, a benefit that covers larger hospital bills for patients with catastrophic diseases. — Edg Adrian A. Eva