[Risk factors and prevention of lung cancer]

Risk factors and prevention of lung cancer. In France, lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer with more than 30,000 deaths per year. The vast majority (85%) of lung cancer are due to tobacco and the duration of smoking has a greater impact than the amount smoked. Passive smoking increases the risk of lung cancer and is responsible for around 25% of lung cancers in non-smokers in France. The risk of lung cancer linked to cannabis smoke hasn't been demonstrated, but is suspected. Other carcinogens found in certain workplaces, such as asbestos, or in the environment, such as radon in granite soils and urban air pollution, increase the risk of lung cancer. The maximum benefit on lung cancer mortality reduction should be obtained by combining smoking cessation and lung cancer screening by chest CT. Lung cancer screening has shown its effectiveness, but is currently not recommended in France. Measures to promote smoking cessation are known and include public health measures to de-normalize tobacco (neutral packaging, ban on advertising, significant increase in its price) and treatments that have been shown to be effective in smoking cessation: nicotine replacement therapy, varenicline and cognitive behavioral therapy.