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What Increases Your Risk

Risk factors for lung cancer include:

  • Tobacco use. Smoking and chewing tobacco are related to developing lung cancer, as well as to cancer of the mouth and throat. Over 85% of lung cancers are related to smoking.2 More than half of people who are newly diagnosed with lung cancer are former smokers. Smoking unfiltered, high-tar cigarettes may put you at a higher risk than smoking filtered or low-tar cigarettes, although this has not been proven. The risk of developing lung cancer increases:
    • The longer you smoke.
    • The more cigarettes you smoke each day.
  • Exposure to tobacco smoke, such as living with a smoker. If you live with a smoker, you have 2 to 3 times the risk of developing lung cancer compared with a person who lives in a nonsmoking environment.5 About 25% of nonsmokers who develop lung cancer probably get it from being exposed to secondhand smoke.3
  • Exposure to certain chemicals, such as arsenic, asbestos, radioactive dust, or radon.
  • Radiation exposure from occupational, medical, or environmental sources.
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