Turkey sees rise in lung cancer among young adults

Prof. Dr. Şevket Özkaya warned that lung cancer cases among people under 50 are increasing sharply. Citing a BMJ Oncology study, he noted that worldwide the proportion of cancers in those under 50 nearly doubled between 1990 and 2019, with 3.26 million cases recorded in 2019 and over one million deaths.

In Turkey, recent examples include a non‑smoking woman in her 30s who died from lung cancer and a 15‑year‑old student diagnosed with the disease. Özkaya emphasized that the trend is not merely a rise in numbers but a growing occurrence in young, often non‑smoking individuals, possibly linked to exposure to chemicals in cosmetics, hair dyes and other products. He called for greater public awareness, research into environmental risk factors, and preventive measures.

The specialist urged the health community and the public to monitor this “cancer surge” and to consider broader chemical exposures beyond tobacco as potential contributors to early‑onset lung cancer.