Causes of Lung Cancer - Smoking is a major cause of about 90% of cases of lung cancer in men and about 70% in women. The more cigarettes smoked, the greater the risk for lung cancer.
Only a small proportion of lung cancer (about 10% -15% in men and 5% in women) caused by or inhaled substances encountered at work. Working with asbestos, radiation, arsenic, chromate, nickel, chloromethyl ethers, mustard gas and coke oven emissions can cause lung cancer, although usually only occurs in workers who also smoked.
Some cases occur because of exposure by radon gas in the household.
Sometimes, lung cancer (particularly adenocarcinoma and alveolar cell carcinoma) occurred in people who already have lung scarring due to other lung diseases, such as tuberculosis and fibrosis.
