Lung cancer is usually blamed on smoking, but a significant number of instances occur in non-smokers who have never seen the inside of a cigarette package. The American Cancer Society says that about 20% of lung cancer deaths occur in non-smokers. This leads us to ask: why are these non-smokers getting lung cancer, and why are they at risk?

Though smoking is still the primary cause of lung cancer, studies indicate that environmental, genetic, and occupational factors combined are also responsible for the development of the disease. The MD Anderson Cancer Center and other research facilities throughout the U.S. have been conducting intensive research into why lung cancer affects non-smokers and how the disease differs from smoking-induced cancer.

The majority of lung cancers that are diagnosed in never-smokers are non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC), accounting for approximately 85% of all lung cancers. Of these, adenocarcinoma is the most frequent subtype among non-smokers. Scientists have found that close to 30% of NSCLC occurrences among non-smokers are caused by genetic mutations, which can be treated with targeted therapies.

Key Genetic Factors in Non-Smoker Lung Cancer Cases

Lung cancer in people who have never smoked is typically associated with particular genetic mutations. Two of the most important biomarkers are:

EGFR mutations: EGFR mutations account for approximately 10-15% of lung cancer in the U.S. and are more frequently found in non-smokers, especially in females and Asian patients.

ALK gene rearrangements: This mutation is found in approximately 5% of lung cancers and can be treated with certain drugs that inhibit the activity of the abnormal protein.

These genetic determinants suggest that non-smoker lung cancer patients could be more responsive to targeted therapies, bringing new hope to treatment possibilities.

Environmental and Occupational Risk Factors

Even though one does not smoke, most are exposed to substances that cause lung cancer. There are various environmental and occupational causes that have been discovered:

Radon Exposure

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that emanates from the ground and can build up in houses, particularly in basements and poorly ventilated areas. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that radon exposure leads to approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths each year. Research has established a strong link between elevated radon levels and lung cancer among non-smokers.

Why is Secondhand Smoke A Significant Threat?

Even for someone who never smoked, years of exposure to secondhand smoke greatly raises lung cancer risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are an estimated 7,000 deaths from lung cancer every year due to secondhand smoke. Smokers' partners, family members, and colleagues are particularly susceptible to breathing in dangerous chemicals from cigarette smoke.

Air Pollution and Industrial Toxins

Long-term exposure to air pollution, such as vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions, has been associated with a higher risk of lung cancer. A 2013 report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) identified outdoor air pollution as a carcinogen, highlighting the contribution of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) to lung cancer.

Exposure to these substances in the workplace, such as asbestos, arsenic, and diesel exhaust, also puts one at greater risk. People who work in construction, manufacturing, and mining are especially susceptible to inhaling these cancer-causing particles.

Family History and Genetic Susceptibility

Family history of lung cancer in non-smokers also places them at greater risk, with a possible genetic component. In case a first-degree relative (parent, sibling, or child) has developed lung cancer, especially at a younger age, the risk factor for developing the disease is elevated. This also points to inherited genetic mutations potentially making some individuals more vulnerable to lung cancer.

Identifying Symptoms

Symptoms of lung cancer are usually mild and may be confused with other illnesses, so it is frequently diagnosed late in the majority of instances. The usual symptoms are:

• Chronic cough or increasing cough over time
• Sputum containing blood
• Chest discomfort or pain
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Wheezing
• Weight loss without an obvious cause
• Weakness
• Hoarseness or swallowing difficulty
• Recurrent infections of the lungs

Since non-smokers usually do not see themselves as being at risk for lung cancer, they might postpone medical care until the disease advances to a severe stage before being diagnosed.

Can You Lower Your Risk of Lung Cancer?

Though some risk factors, like heredity, cannot be modified, there are a number of proactive measures that you can do to reduce your risk of lung cancer. One of the most significant steps is to have your home tested for radon, as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) highly recommends, particularly in high-radon areas. Long-term exposure to this odorless gas can cause a high risk of lung cancer, and early detection is vital. Also, staying away from secondhand smoke is crucial. If you reside with a smoker, persuading them to quit or having proper ventilation to reduce exposure can safeguard your lungs. Lessening exposure to toxic pollutants is another crucial step—sitting indoors with air purifiers and using protective masks while working in risk-prone places can reduce the inhalation of harmful chemicals.

Lastly, a healthy way of life plays an important part in lung health. A healthy diet of fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly, and refraining from known carcinogens can make your immune system strong and help lung function in general. Using all these preventive steps can contribute significantly to lowering the risk of lung cancer and improving respiratory health. Who is Eligible for Lung Cancer Screening?

Today the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force screens for lung cancer only in individuals with a smoking history. What this implies is that non-smokers are usually not screened, except when there are symptoms or other risk indicators. There is an argument though that those who have a large family history and high exposure to radon are also worth early screening.

Lung cancer is not solely a disease of smokers. With increasing incidence in non-smokers, it's essential to know about different risk factors and take preventive action wherever feasible. If you have persistent symptoms, see your doctor to eliminate any possible serious conditions. Early detection is the strongest defense against lung cancer, irrespective of smoking status.

People using injectable weight loss drugs may need long-term medical and lifestyle support, researchers have warned, after a large study found that weight is regained far more quickly than with traditional diet and exercise plans. Scientists at the University of Oxford found that people taking medications such as semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) lose weight while on treatment, but typically regain it within around 20 months after stopping the injections.

The study also showed that improvements in blood sugar control, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure fade once the drugs are discontinued, leaving patients back at their original health markers. By comparison, people who lose weight through structured diet and exercise programmes tend to maintain the loss for longer, close to four years on average, although most eventually regain weight as well.

Health Gains Reverse After Treatment Ends

The findings come alongside separate research from University College London and the University of Cambridge, which suggests that people prescribed newer weight loss drugs could face risks such as nutrient deficiencies and loss of muscle mass. Under current NHS rules, Wegovy can only be prescribed for up to two years, while Mounjaro has no set time limit.

Most people using these medications pay for them privately, due to strict NHS eligibility criteria. Research indicates that around half stop treatment, often because of cost, side effects, or because they feel they have reached their target weight.

The Oxford analysis, published in the British Medical Journal, reviewed 37 studies involving more than 9,000 participants. On average, people stayed on medication for 10 months and were followed up for eight months after treatment ended.

Across all weight loss drugs, participants lost an average of 8.3 kg during treatment, but regained 4.8 kg within a year, returning to their starting weight within about 1.7 years. Those taking Wegovy or Mounjaro lost nearly 15 kg, but regained around 10 kg in the first year after stopping. Based on projections from one year of data, full weight regain occurred within roughly 1.5 years. Measures linked to heart and metabolic health, including blood glucose and cholesterol, also returned to baseline within about 1.4 years.

Experts Say Obesity Requires Ongoing Care

Professor Susan Jebb, professor of diet and population health at the University of Oxford and an adviser to ministers and the NHS on obesity, said the findings were clear. “What we’ve shown is that weight regain after medication is common and happens quickly. The benefits for blood sugar and cholesterol closely track weight changes, so when weight comes back, those benefits disappear too.”

She noted that weight regained after medication happens almost four times faster than after behaviour-based programmes, regardless of how much weight was initially lost. Professor Jebb said long-term solutions may be necessary, whether through ongoing medication, behavioural support, or a combination of both.

“Obesity is a chronic, relapsing condition,” she said. “It’s reasonable to expect that treatment may need to continue for life, much like medicines for high blood pressure. We should think of this as long-term treatment for a long-term condition.”

She added that combining diet and exercise programmes with drug treatment helps people lose more weight initially. However, once medication stops and appetite returns, those strategies alone often fail to prevent regain. In contrast, people in behavioural programmes without drugs may practice these habits more consistently, which could explain why weight regain is slower.

Professor Jebb said it is clear that some form of ongoing intervention is needed if the benefits of weight loss drugs are to last. Some patients try tapering doses or using medication intermittently, while others rely on lifestyle support alone, but she said evidence on what works best remains limited.

Sam West, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford and co-author of the study, said: “People on medication lose more weight than those in behavioural programmes, but they regain it about four times faster.”

The researchers also questioned whether long-term drug treatment is cost-effective for the NHS. They concluded that since obesity is a long-term, relapsing condition, extended use of weight management medications may be needed to maintain health benefits.

Concerns Over Nutrition and Muscle Loss

Separate findings published in Obesity Reviews highlighted gaps in nutritional guidance for people taking semaglutide and tirzepatide. Dr Marie Spreckley from the University of Cambridge said many patients receive little structured advice on diet quality, protein intake, or micronutrient needs, despite significant appetite suppression.

“If nutritional care isn’t built into treatment,” she said, “there’s a real risk of trading one health problem for another, through avoidable nutrient deficiencies and unnecessary muscle loss.”

An NHS spokesperson said that while these drugs are a valuable addition to weight loss treatment, they are not a quick fix. “They must be combined with lifestyle and behavioural support, including advice on healthy eating and physical activity, to help people maintain weight loss over time,” the spokesperson said.

Long COVID should be viewed as a web of overlapping symptoms rather than a single, uniform condition, according to a new systematic review published in eClinicalMedicine and reported by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP). The review highlights several recurring symptom patterns linked to long COVID, including neurological, respiratory, smell and taste-related, cardiopulmonary, and fatigue-driven clusters.

Researchers led by a team from Lanzhou University in Gansu, China, examined data from 64 studies conducted across 20 countries, covering nearly 2.4 million people. They grouped long COVID patients into subtypes using different approaches: symptom overlap in 30 studies, affected organ systems in 16 studies, symptom severity in nine, clinical markers in three, and other classification methods in the remaining research.

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COVID Symptoms 2026: Fatigue Emerges As The Most Common Symptom

Among studies that focused on how symptoms appear together, fatigue stood out as the most consistently reported issue. It often occurred alone or alongside problems such as muscle and joint pain, brain fog, or breathlessness. Other symptom pairings that appeared frequently included loss of smell and taste, anxiety with depression, and various forms of musculoskeletal pain.

When researchers classified patients based on affected organ systems, respiratory problems were the most widespread, seen in about 47% of long COVID patients. Neurological symptoms followed at 31%, while gastrointestinal issues were reported by 28%. The authors stressed that these percentages reflect how often these clusters appeared within long COVID cases studied, not how common they are in the general population.

A smaller number of studies sorted patients by how severe their symptoms were, dividing them into mild, moderate, or severe categories using symptom scores, symptom counts, or quality-of-life measures. Three studies used clinical indicators for classification, including abnormal triglyceride levels and signs of restricted lung function on imaging.

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COVID Symptoms 2026: Women Report Fatigue More Often

The review also found that long COVID subtypes vary based on demographic, socioeconomic, and medical factors. Women were more likely to report fatigue and neuropsychiatric symptoms, while men more commonly experienced respiratory issues. Older adults tended to show higher rates of respiratory, cardio-renal, and ear, nose, and throat symptoms.

Racial and ethnic differences also emerged. Black and Hispanic individuals were more likely to experience respiratory, cardiac, and neuropsychiatric symptoms, whereas White patients showed higher rates of fatigue and musculoskeletal complaints.

COVID-19 variants appeared to influence symptom patterns as well. The researchers noted that the Alpha variant was closely linked to smell-related and respiratory symptoms, while the Delta variant raised the risk of ENT-related problems. In addition, higher body mass index, socioeconomic disadvantage, and existing conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were strongly associated with cardiopulmonary symptom clusters and a heavier overall long COVID burden.

Overall, the findings reinforce that long COVID rarely affects just one system in the body. Instead, it tends to involve multiple overlapping symptom groups, pointing to the need for more tailored, patient-specific care.

The authors call for future studies to focus on creating standardized ways to classify long COVID, identifying the biological mechanisms behind different symptom clusters, and testing targeted treatments for specific subtypes. They note that this approach will be essential for moving toward precision medicine and improving outcomes for people living with long COVID.

Measles is one of the most infectious illnesses known, and as case numbers rise across the United States, health experts warn the country is close to losing its measles elimination status. The current surge marks the highest number of measles cases recorded since the disease was officially eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. In 2025 alone, more than 2,100 cases have been reported nationwide. Texas has emerged as the hardest-hit state, accounting for roughly two out of every five confirmed infections. So just how easily does measles spread?

Measles Cases Increase In The US

As of January 8, a total of 2,065 measles cases had been confirmed across the country, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The last time the U.S. recorded a higher annual total was in 1992, before the routine recommendation of two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine for children, CNN reported.

Several major outbreaks remain active, including one in upstate South Carolina and another along the Arizona-Utah border. These clusters have renewed fears that the U.S. could lose its measles elimination status, which it has maintained for more than two decades. While measles spreads easily, vaccination remains highly effective. One dose of the MMR vaccine offers about 93% protection, and two doses increase effectiveness to 97%, according to the CDC.

What Is Measles?

Measles, also known as rubeola, is a highly contagious viral illness that typically causes fever, cough, a runny nose, red and watery eyes, and a distinctive red, blotchy rash that usually begins on the face and spreads downward. The virus spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes and can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia or brain inflammation. Despite its severity, measles is preventable through a safe and effective vaccine, as per the Mayo Clinic.

How Contagious Is Measles?

Measles is among the most contagious diseases in the world. The virus spreads through airborne droplets that can linger in the air or on surfaces for hours. Up to 90% of unvaccinated people who are exposed to measles will become infected. A single infected person can pass the virus to an estimated 12 to 18 others through close contact or shared spaces. People can transmit the virus days before symptoms become obvious and continue spreading it after the rash appears, according to the World Health Organization.

How Long Is Someone Contagious With Measles?

Someone infected with measles can spread the virus from four days before the rash develops to four days after it appears. The virus spreads so efficiently that about 90% of people who are unvaccinated or have never had measles will become infected after being exposed.

In November, Canada lost its measles elimination status following a significant outbreak, according to the Pan American Health Organization, which works closely with the World Health Organization.

“It’s important to say that all the other 34 countries in the region, they keep their certification as measles-free,” said PAHO/WHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa at the time, as per NPR News.

U.S. health officials have also warned that genetic links between outbreaks in different states suggest continued spread.

“The trajectory that we’re looking at now is that we do anticipate more cases well into January,” Bell said. “What that means for us nationally in terms of how they are defining our designation in this country as having eliminated measles is unclear.”