How common is lung cancer?
According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 213,380 new cases of lung cancer are expected in 2007 in the United States, accounting for 15 percent of all cancer diagnoses. In men, the incidence rate is declining significantly, while in women, after a long period of increase, the rate is approaching a plateau. Of all the cancers, lung cancer accounts for the most cancer-related deaths in both men and women, and it’s estimated that in 2007 29 percent of all cancer deaths will be due to lung cancer. Also, since 1987, more women have died each year from lung cancer than from breast cancer.
Lung cancer results in more deaths in the United States than any other cancer; in fact, it accounts for more deaths than breast, cervix, colon, and prostate cancer combined. About 173,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with lung cancer each year and about 164,000 die each year-that’s almost 95%.
