Up to one in five lung cancer patients aren't smokers

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-10-21 02:00

Australia; VIC

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15-20% of people who develop lung cancer globally aren't smokers, according to a review by Australian researchers. The team reviewed 92 previous studies on lung cancer in non-smokers - defined as having smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes ever. From the previous research, the authors say non-smokers at the highest risk of lung cancer are mostly those who are exposed to passive smoking, radioactive material, air pollution and asbestos, or those who have a first-degree relative with lung cancer. Non-smokers with lung cancer have higher rates of cancer-related gene mutations, the researchers say, adding that this appears to influence the effectiveness of different treatments for those patients.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, The University of Melbourne

Funder: Dr Murphy is supported by the Rosetrees Trust. Dr Pandya is supported by a UCL UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in AI-enabled Healthcare studentship (EP/S021612/1), a Francis Crick Institute Idea to Innovation (i2i) grant, and by the Ruth Strauss Foundation. Dr Swanton is a Royal Society Napier Research Professor (RSRP\R\210001); his work is supported by the Francis Crick Institute, which receives its core funding from Cancer Research UK (CC2041), the UK Medical Research Council (CC2041), and the Wellcome Trust (CC2041). Dr Swanton is funded by Cancer Research UK (TRACERx [C11496/A17786]), PEACE (C416/A21999), and CRUK Cancer Immunotherapy Catalyst Network; Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence (C11496/ A30025); the Rosetrees Trust; the Ruth Strauss Foundation; Future Dreams; Gustave Roussy Foundation; Butterfield and Stoneygate Trusts; Novo Nordisk Foundation (ID16584); Royal Society Professorship Enhancement Award (RP/EA/ 180007 and RF\ERE\231118); National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre; the Cancer Research UK-University College London Centre; Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre; the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (US) (BCRF-22-157); Cancer Research UK Early Detection and Diagnosis Primer Award (grant EDDPMA-Nov21/100034); and The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Aspire Award (grant 21-029-ASP) and ASPIRE Phase II award (grant 23-034-ASP). Dr Swanton received an ERC Advanced Grant (PROTEUS) from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement No. 835297). Dr Solomon is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grant.

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