Smoking tobacco is the main cause of lung cancer. People who live or work with people who smoke are also at increased risk because they are exposed to second-hand smoke.

Other factors that increase the risk of lung cancer include:

• exposure to asbestos and some other substances, such as arsenic or drinking water that contains high levels of arsenic, chromium and nickel, especially if you are a smoker
• exposure to radon gas
• having had lung cancer before
• family history of lung cancer
• air pollution

Some people develop lung cancer without any of these risk factors.

• What is lung cancer?
• Risk factors
• Signs and symptoms
• Diagnosis
• Staging
• Treatment
• In-depth information on lung cancer
• After treatment
• Questions to ask your healthcare team
• Statistics