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Sub-Category:

Environmental Exposure

Number of Conditions: 1

Radon Gas Exposure-Related Lung Cancer

Specialty: Toxicology

Category: Chronic Toxicity and Long-Term Exposures

Sub-category: Environmental Exposure

Symptoms:
persistent cough; shortness of breath; chest pain; wheezing; unexplained weight loss; fatigue

Root Cause:
Inhalation of radon gas and its radioactive decay products leads to DNA damage in lung tissues, triggering carcinogenesis.

How it's Diagnosed: videos
History of radon exposure, imaging studies (chest X-ray, CT scan), and lung tissue biopsy to confirm malignancy.

Treatment:
Standard lung cancer treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy.

Medications:
Targeted therapies like erlotinib (EGFR inhibitor), pembrolizumab (immune checkpoint inhibitor), or chemotherapy drugs such as cisplatin and paclitaxel .

Prevalence: How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Second leading cause of lung cancer globally; high in areas with natural radon emission.

Risk Factors: Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Living in homes with poor ventilation and high radon levels, smoking (amplifies radon effects), and occupational exposure (e.g., mining).

Prognosis: The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Early detection improves survival rates, but late-stage lung cancer often has a poor prognosis.

Complications: Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Metastasis to other organs, respiratory failure, and treatment-related side effects like immunosuppression or toxicity.