Lung cancer is an important health problem that affects many individuals and their families, as the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. As it is now well known, lung cancer often results from tobacco use, but there are other factors that increase the risk of lung cancer. Lung cancer was once a very rare disease; So much so that when physicians saw a patient with lung cancer, they thought that they had encountered a very rare situation in their professional life. So how did lung cancer become a public health problem?
As a result of the industrial revolution that started at the end of the 18th century, machine production cigarettes and mass marketing, the habit of smoking became popular. However, lung cancer has almost become a worldwide epidemic.
Especially with the World Wars, smoking skyrocketed. At the same time, the results of scientific studies pointing to the harms of smoking began to be announced. Cigarette manufacturers, on the other hand, started public propaganda and advertising campaigns claiming that the results of scientific research were controversial in order to save cigarette sales. Physicians and even babies were depicted on the posters of these advertisements. The anti-propaganda and strong lobbying activities of the cigarette manufacturers received a political response for a while, and the health of millions continued to be damaged. Today, 1.5 million deaths occur annually from lung cancer due to smoking, and it is estimated that this figure will reach 2 million annually in the 2020s if smoking rates do not decrease. Along with many measures to reduce smoking, publicly advertising cigarettes is prohibited in many countries. However, many more difficult steps need to be taken to completely stop this harmful consumption.
