Cancer
Beyond tobacco: Lung cancer in nonsmokers
Here's what can predispose you to the deadliest malignancy, even if you've never taken a puff.
- Reviewed by Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
Allison was like many patients who have lung cancer but never smoked: livid. Diagnosed in her mid-50s, she associated the malignancy solely with cigarettes. Though she's doing well eight years later thanks to a widening array of treatments, Allison never imagined she might one day be counted among lung cancer's ranks.
"Many patients like her feel angry that they got lung cancer, I think because of the stigma associated with the disease," says Dr. Andrea McKee, a radiation oncologist at Harvard- affiliated Lahey Hospital and Medical Center.
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About the Author
Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
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