Lung cancer is the second most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death, but thanks to declining smoking rates and improvements in treatment, diagnoses and deaths are on the decline.
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death.
It affects more men than women.
New treatments and declining smoking rates are reducing diagnoses and improving survival.
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women. But, luckily, a new study shows that declining smoking rates and improvements in treatments mean lung cancer diagnoses and deaths are finally falling. Here are some revealing facts and stats about lung cancer that offer insight into the disease.
Lung Cancer Rates
The lifetime risk of lung cancer for a man is one in 15.
228,820: Number of new cases of lung cancer expected in 2020. (This number is declining every year as smoking rates decline.)
135,720: Number of deaths from lung cancer expected in 2020. (This number is declining every year as smoking rates decline and treatments improve.)
1 in 15: A man's lifetime odds of developing lung cancer.
1 in 17: A woman's odds of getting lung cancer in her lifetime.
+15%: An African American man's risk of lung cancer compared to a white man's.
-14%: An African American woman's risk of lung cancer compared to a white woman's.
Awareness of lung cancer, and the availability and importance of getting screened, helps to save lives. We must spread this message far and wide as we continue to combat this deadly disease.
Adults 55 to 80 years old who are or were heavy smokers – that’s a history of at least a pack a day for 30 years – should get an annual lung cancer screening.
November: Lung Cancer Awareness Month.
White or Pearl: The color ribbon to wear in honor of lung cancer awareness month.
Sources: American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, Lung Cancer Foundation of America, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Cancer Institute.
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