Countries With The Highest Rates Of Lung Cancer Among Women

Lung Cancer is a disease that manifests itself as a malignant tumor in the cells of one or both of the lungs. It originates from the lungs and may spread to other parts of the body. Smoking is largely the cause of lung cancer because cigarettes contain toxic chemicals. Passive smokers are also at a risk of developing the disease. Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in many countries. Pregnant women who smoke put their newborns at risks. Smoking cuts off the supply of oxygen to the fetus and exposes them to toxic chemicals such as nicotine. Infants born to mothers smoking cigarettes are always underweight, and they can die in their infancy or develop severe respiratory problems. Smoking during pregnancy also puts children at high risk of developing defects such as cleft lips, shorter limbs or heads with abnormal shapes. Countries with the highest rates of lung cancer among women across all age groups are Denmark, Canada, US, Korea, Hungary, and Netherlands among others.

Countries With The Highest Rates Of Lung Cancer Among Women

Denmark

In Denmark, 37.6 out every 100,000 women have lung cancer. The country has the highest rate of lung cancer in the world. Denmark is a developed country and has an efficient health sector, and occurrences of lung cancer are adequately diagnosed and recorded. High rates of lung cancer in Denmark can be majorly attributed to high rates of smoking and alcohol indulgences among women. Obesity also puts more women in Denmark at greater risk of developing lung cancer.

Canada

Canada has the second highest rates of lung cancer among women in the world at the rate of 34.4 per 100,000 women. Women in Canada are more likely to get lung cancer than any other type of cancer such as breast or cervix cancer. The high level of lung cancer diagnoses can be attributed to smoking, both active and passive. The situation is further worsened by an increasing number of obese women who lead a sedentary lifestyle without exercise.

USA

In the US 33.7 out of 100,000 women have lung cancer. Up to 1987, breast cancer was the leading cause of death by cancer in women but has since been surpassed by lung cancer. The high cases of cancer began rising by the changing attitudes after World War II when smoking by women became more acceptable, and this is why most of the diagnoses of the disease are in older women. Lung cancer is the biggest killer than all other gynecological cancers in women in the US. The high rate of lung cancer in women is attributed to active smoking, exposure to smoke at work or home and pollution such as exposure to radon gas. Non-smoking women who grew up in an environment where they were exposed to smoke are also at risk of developing lung cancer later in life.

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Korea has lung cancer occurrences among women at a rate of 33.4 for every 100,000 women. Smoking was the leading cause of these statistics. However, instances of lung cancer among non-smoking women in the country have been on the rise. Theories have been put forward, and subsequent research suggests that genetics could play some role in the occurrences of lung cancer in women. Exposure to smoke and indoor cooking also contributes to some cases of lung cancer in women in Korea.

Conclusion

Other countries with a high rate of lung cancer for every 100,000 women include Hungary (33.2), The Netherlands (31.6), Iceland (28.9), Ireland (27.4), Norway (26.1) and UK (25.8). Lung cancer has emotional and economic effects on the family. Treatment may prove expensive for families and expose them to the financial crisis. The disease can also present family members and the patient to emotional issues, and the society loses healthy women who would participate in the economy of the country.