Risk of lung cancer is on the rise in the Chinese capital city of Beijing in the last decade.

Xinhua News, a state-run news agency, reported that the number of lung cancer cases in 2011 has significantly increased when compared to 2002. The news agency cites figures obtained by Beijing Municipal Health Bureau and confirmed that the number of lung cancer cases in Beijing in 2011 per 100,000 patients was 63.09 when compared to 39.56 in 2002.

"In 2011, Beijing reported a total of 7,999 new lung cancer cases, accounting for 20.8 percent of the malignant tumor cases that year. The bureau said lung cancer is the most common disease among male malignant tumor patients," per Xinhua News.

The Chinese news agency also reported that the statistics suggest that lung cancer cases are more in male patients over 35 years than female patients.

Health experts at the Beijing Cancer hospital indicate that lung cancer is mainly linked to the lifestyle of patients. Smoking is supposed to be the top reason for lung cancer followed by passive smoking and air pollution. The experts at the hospital also added that people with respiratory diseases are more likely to get lung cancer.

"More than half of the lung cancer deaths attributable to ambient fine particles were projected to have been in China and other East Asian countries," per the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Air pollution along with asbestos, tobacco and UV radiation continue to be one of the major health concerns such as lung cancer in emerging economies. However, these issues are not just restricted to eastern Asian countries but are also prevalent in certain European countries.

The European Environmental Bureau suggests that around 400,000 people die early per year in Europe due to air pollution. However, the Bureau does not indicate the number of people who die of lung cancer caused due to air pollution.

WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer evaluates that there were around 220,000 air pollution-related lung cancers deaths globally in 2010.