Lung cancer in children

By Metro Creative

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide. According to the World Cancer Research Fund International, lung cancer is the most common cancer in men and the second most common cancer in women.

But even families affected by lung cancer may be surprised to learn that children are not immune to the disease. Though lung cancer is very rarely found in children, kids can get it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that cigarette smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer, which could be why the disease is so often associated with adults.

However, the National Cancer Institute reports that incidences of lung cancer in children could be genetic. According to the NCI, a specific change in the DICER1 gene increases the risk for a childhood lung cancer known as pleuropulmonary blastoma, which forms in the tissues of the lung and pleura (the organs between the lungs).

— Metro Creative