Dr. Marisa Bittoni on Why Younger People Are Getting Lung Cancer

Lung cancer. Those 2 words may conjure up the image of an older person, perhaps a smoker or former smoker. But if you have lungs, you can get lung cancer, and it’s not a disease that affects only “boomers.” More members of Generation X, and even Millennials, are being diagnosed with lung cancer. New research suggests the majority of those patients never used tobacco and do not have a family history of lung or other cancers. So, what’s making them sick?

To help answer this important question, scientists from The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center (OSUCCC) are conducting the largest study on young patients with lung cancer to date, exploring environmental, lifestyle, and genetic factors.

Lung Cancers Today spoke with Marisa Bittoni, PhD, a cancer researcher at OSUCCC and lead author of the study, about what can cause lung cancer in patients younger than 50 years of age.