{
  "id": 19585406,
  "title": "Living with Stage 4 Lung Cancer, she is turning her fight into a campaign for clean air",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/living-with-stage-4-lung-cancer-she-is-turning-her-fight-into-a",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-11-12T02:03:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/health-wellness/lung-cancer-clean-air-stage-4-fight-10959664/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "At 35, Urvashi Prasad received a diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer. As a non-smoker who led an active lifestyle, she had no reason to believe she was seriously ill. Now, four-and-a-half years later, she continues her fight against the disease, managing daily medication and facing debilitating side effects. Alongside her personal battle, Urvashi is determined to raise awareness about the impact of air pollution on lung cancer. She firmly believes that breathing polluted air may have contributed to her vulnerability and wants health consequences of exposure to receive greater attention. ALK-positive lung adenocarcinoma, a type of non-small-cell lung cancer linked to a genetic alteration called ALK rearrangement, is the form of cancer Urvashi is living with. This form of cancer often affects younger individuals, including those who have never smoked, challenging the notion that lung cancer is primarily a smoker's disease. Urvashi's journey began with a series of unexplained symptoms, which initially led to a misdiagnosis. A biopsy and molecular testing finally confirmed the presence of the ALK alteration, leading to the correct diagnosis. The process underscored how lung cancer can easily be overlooked in younger, non-smoking patients who do not fit the conventional profile. Since her diagnosis, Urvashi has made treatment her full-time responsibility. She takes daily oral medication, undergoes regular check-ups and monitoring, and manages a range of side effects, including weight gain, increased cholesterol, and anaemia. Despite the financial and emotional toll of long-term treatment, she maintains a positive outlook and uses an N95 mask and air purifiers to minimize pollution exposure when she goes out. Urvashi's mission is to bring air pollution into the conversation about cancer prevention in India. Fine particulate matter, particularly PM2.5, can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, causing oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and cellular damage, all of which can contribute to cancer development. She emphasizes that air pollution is a recognized carcinogenic exposure, even among non-smokers, and highlights the need for comprehensive environmental policies and individual behavior changes to tackle this issue. Through her work at the PAVANA Centre for Air Pollution and Environmental Health, Urvashi aims to raise awareness and drive action to protect people's health from the dangers of air pollution.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}