New cases of lung cancer among women in Hong Kong have increased by 20 percent over the past two decades. Experts point to genetic factors and cooking fumes as contributors alongside smoking.
Rates of new lung cancer cases among Hong Kong women have risen by 20 per cent in the past two decades despite their smoking less than men. The disease remains the city’s most common and deadliest cancer and is still primarily caused by smoking. Herbert Loong Ho-fung, an associate professor in the department of clinical oncology of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said smoking is always a major risk factor. He added that some studies have found that some Chinese people, especially women, are genetically predisposed to developing lung cancer. Experts also cited exposure to cooking fumes in poorly ventilated kitchens or heavy use of cooking oil as risk factors. They emphasised that screening could help identify patients who were not exposed to traditionally recognised risk behaviours.
