Lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer death among American women, and health experts are increasingly focused on a troubling shift: more new cases are being diagnosed in women who have never smoked. That trend is raising concern that lung cancer is not only a smoking-related disease, but also a broader women's health issue.
The report highlights how this pattern is becoming more visible as doctors and researchers look at who is being affected. Women with no smoking history are making up a growing share of lung cancer cases, underscoring the need for greater awareness of symptoms, earlier detection and more attention to possible risk factors beyond tobacco use.
Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki was identified as one of the women impacted by lung cancer despite not being a smoker. Her case has added public attention to a disease that can be overlooked when patients do not fit the traditional profile associated with smoking.
The growing number of lung cancer cases in nonsmokers is fueling concern that many women may not realize they are at risk. As the disease continues to claim more lives than any other cancer in American women, the issue is increasingly being described as a women's health crisis.
