Asian American women are getting lung cancer despite never smoking. It’s baffling scientists.

Over 50% of Asian American women who have lung cancer have never smoked. For Chinese and Indian American women who have lung cancer, that number shoots to 80% to 90%.

According to a California study, lung cancer rates are dropping for every group except nonsmoking Asian American women — for whom they’re actually increasing by 2% per year.

While lung cancer is traditionally associated with cigarettes, as many as 20% of U.S. cases happen in never-smokers every year. Among Asian American women who have lung cancer, more than 50% have never smoked. And for Chinese and Indian American women who have lung cancer, the nonsmoking percentage rises to 80% to 90%.

Air pollution may also lead to genetic changes such that Asian patients have some of the highest rates of the cancer-causing epidermal growth factor receptor mutation, which leads healthy cells to divide uncontrollably and grow into tumors.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/asian-american-women-lung-cancer-rcna138895