Anyone can develop lung cancer, but there are certain factors that increase the risk of developing it.

• Smoking: Tobacco smoking is responsible for around 9 out of 10 cases of lung cancer in males and approximately 8 out of 10 cases in women. Lung cancer is more likely to develop the earlier you start smoking, the longer you smoke, and the more cigarettes you smoke every day. If you smoke a lot, drink a lot of alcohol, or take beta carotene pills, your risk increases. If you quit smoking, your risk is lower than if you continued to smoke. You will, however, be at a larger risk than people who have never smoked.
• Second-hand smoke: This is the mixture of smoke produced by a cigarette and smoke exhaled by a smoker. You are exposed to the same cancer-causing chemicals as smokers when you inhale it, though in smaller doses.
• History of lung cancer in the family.
• Exposure to asbestos, arsenic, beryllium, chromium, nickel, soot, or tar at the workplace.
• Exposure to radiation – from Radiation therapy to the breast or chest, Radon, CT scans, etc.
• HIV infection.
• Air pollution.