Lung Cancer in Bangladesh: Epidemiological Burden, Tobacco and Environmental Risk Determinants, Diagnostic Delay, and Survival Challenges — A Systematic Narrative Evidence Synthesis

Safkat Faruk; Mahe; Md. Imran; Abdullah Al

doi:10.25163/primeasia.7110752

Journal of Primeasia

Integrative Disciplinary Research | Online ISSN 3064-9870 | Print ISSN 3069-4353

570

Citations

195.3k

Views

121

Articles

Submit

Volume 7 Number 1 2026

Figures and Tables

REVIEWS (Open Access)

Previous Contents Vol 7 (1)

Lung Cancer in Bangladesh: Epidemiological Burden, Tobacco and Environmental Risk Determinants, Diagnostic Delay, and Survival Challenges — A Systematic Narrative Evidence Synthesis

Safkat Faruk Sezan¹*, Mahe Jabeen², Md. Imran Jewel³, Abdullah Al Imtiaz⁴

+ Author Affiliations

Journal of Primeasia 7 (1) 1-8 https://doi.org/10.25163/primeasia.7110752

Submitted: 10 March 2026 Revised: 13 May 2026 Published: 21 May 2026

Abstract

Lung cancer remains one of the most consequential cancer burdens worldwide, yet its epidemiological and clinical pattern in Bangladesh is still not fully understood because national-level evidence remains fragmented. This review synthesizes recent evidence on the burden, risk determinants, clinical characteristics, survival patterns, and health-system challenges associated with lung cancer in Bangladesh. A PRISMA-informed systematic evidence synthesis was conducted using published studies and credible reports from 2020 to 2025. Searches were performed across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Google Scholar, and manual reference lists. After screening 168 records, 22 studies were included for narrative synthesis. The available evidence suggests that lung cancer in Bangladesh is characterized by a strong male predominance, diagnosis at older age, socioeconomic vulnerability, and frequent late-stage presentation. Tobacco exposure remains the most consistent and dominant risk determinant, although the disease pattern cannot be explained by smoking alone. Ambient air pollution, biomass fuel exposure, secondhand smoke, occupational hazards, and limited access to early diagnostic services appear to contribute meaningfully, particularly among women, non-smokers, and rural or low-income populations. Histological evidence indicates a predominance of non-small cell lung cancer, with squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma representing major subtypes. Survival outcomes remain poor, largely due to delayed diagnosis, comorbidities, weak referral pathways, high treatment costs, and limited access to advanced oncology care. Overall, the review highlights the urgent need for stronger cancer registries, tobacco-control enforcement, air-pollution mitigation, early detection strategies, and more equitable treatment access. More prospective and population-based studies are needed to clarify Bangladesh-specific risk pathways and improve national cancer-control planning.

Keywords: Lung cancer; Bangladesh; tobacco exposure; air pollution; diagnostic delay; survival outcomes

References

Alam, K., Hasan, S. K., Ahmed, S., & Kumar, S. (2025). Impact of immunotherapy on survival rates of lung cancer patients in suburban Bangladesh: A 24-month cohort study. International Journal of Medical and Health Research, 2, 9. https://doi.org/10.61424/ijmhr.v2i1.166

Ansar, A., Lewis, V., McDonald, C. F., Liu, C., & Rahman, M. A. (2021). Duration of intervals in the care seeking pathway for lung cancer in Bangladesh: A journey from symptoms triggering consultation to receipt of treatment. PLOS ONE, 16. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257301

Ansar, A., Lewis, V., McDonald, C. F., Liu, C., & Rahman, M. A. (2023). Factors influencing the timeliness of care for patients with lung cancer in Bangladesh. BMC Health Services Research, 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09154-8

Boutros, P., Kassem, N., Boudo, V., Sié, A., Munga, S., Maggioni, M. A., et al. (2024). Understanding the risk factors, burden, and interventions for chronic respiratory diseases in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review. Public Health Reviews, 45, 1607339. https://doi.org/10.3389/phrs.2024.1607339

Dao, T. V., Ðinh, V. L., Doan, T. V., & Phuong, T. L. (2025). Prevalence of EGFR mutations in Vietnamese patients with resected early stage non-small cell lung cancer: EARLY-EGFR study. Lung Cancer: Targets and Therapy, 39. https://doi.org/10.2147/lctt.s494554

Deng, L., Zhao, H., Fan, S., Bai, J., Guo, L., You, J., et al. (2025). Global and regional burden of kidney cancer from 1990 to 2021: Analysis and future predictions based on global burden of disease study. BMC Cancer, 25, 1661. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-025-15130-8

Han, Z., Zhu, Z., Zhang, Z., Dong, J., Yang, X., & Feng, J. (2025). Global burden of lung cancer in adolescents and adults aged 15–45: Analysis of the global burden of disease study (1990–2021). Frontiers in Medicine, 12, 1600662. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2025.1600662

Iqbal, J. (2025). National cancer registries in Bangladesh and social determinants of health: Challenging cancer disparities. Cancer Control, 32. https://doi.org/10.1177/10732748251323757

Islam, M. R., Hasan, A. T. M. K., Khatun, N., Ridi, I. N., Rasheed, M. M. O., Islam, S. M. A., et al. (2021). Demographic differentials of lung cancer survival in Bangladeshi patients. PLOS ONE, 16. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261238

Kothari, V. (2016). Journal of Applied Biotechnology & Bioengineering, 1. https://doi.org/10.15406/jabb.1.2

Lee, S., Kim, S., Park, C., Yoon, S. H., Chung, C., & Lee, S. Y. (2025). Nationwide quality assessment of lung cancer management in Korea: Based on second-cycle Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service evaluation. Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, 88, 708. https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2025.0038

LoPiccolo, J., Gusev, A., Christiani, D. C., & Jänne, P. A. (2024). Lung cancer in patients who have never smoked: An emerging disease. Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology, 21, 121. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41571-023-00844-0

Molignini, P., Lapierre, B., Chitra, R., & Chen, W. (2022). Report on 2207.00016v2. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.21468/scipost.report.5676

Morgan, E., Arnold, M., Camargo, M. C., Gini, A., Kunzmann, A. T., Matsuda, T., et al. (2022). The current and future incidence and mortality of gastric cancer in 185 countries, 2020–40: A population-based modelling study. EClinicalMedicine, 47, 101404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101404

Rahman, M. M., Opo, F. A. D. M., & Asiri, A. M. (2022). Comprehensive studies of different cancer diseases among less-developed countries. Healthcare, 10, 424. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10030424

Sant, M., Daidone, C., Innos, K., Marcos-Gragera, R., Vanschoenbeek, K., Barranco, M. R., et al. (2023). Patterns of care and survival for lung cancer: Results of the European population-based high-resolution study. Frontiers in Epidemiology, 3, 1109853. https://doi.org/10.3389/fepid.2023.1109853

Sapate, S. H., Shewale, A., Shaikh, S. R., Vonkade, S., & Shruti. (2025). Lung cancer: An overview: Epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis & treatment. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18042992

Sharma, R., & Khubchandani, J. (2024). Global, regional, and national burden of tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer in 2022: Evidence from the GLOBOCAN study. Epidemiologia, 5, 785. https://doi.org/10.3390/epidemiologia5040053

Sokefun, O., Gan, H. M., & Pau, M. (2022). International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies, 10. https://doi.org/10.22271/fish.2022.v10.i3c

Verplancke, K., Keirns, D., McMahon, K., Creech, Z. A., Truong, G. T., Silberstein, P. T., et al. (2023). Association between demographic and socioeconomic factors and diagnosis of advanced non-small cell lung cancer: An analysis of the National Cancer Database. Cureus, 15. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.44351

Vinokurov, M. A. (2021). Lung cancer in non-smokers. https://doi.org/10.53650/9785902305620_200

Widyaningsih, R., & Kuntarto, K. (2020). Matan Journal of Islam and Muslim Society, 2, 40. https://doi.org/10.20884/1.matan.2020.2.1.2251

Zhou, J., Xu, Y., Liu, J., Feng, L., Yu, J., & Chen, D. (2024). Global burden of lung cancer in 2022 and projections to 2050: Incidence and mortality estimates from GLOBOCAN. Cancer Epidemiology, 93, 102693. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.canep.2024.102693

Journal of Primeasia

Article Contents

Lung Cancer in Bangladesh: Epidemiological Burden, Tobacco and Environmental Risk Determinants, Diagnostic Delay, and Survival Challenges — A Systematic Narrative Evidence Synthesis

Abstract

References

Recommended articles

Stay connected