Lung Cancer Statistics

Lung cancer is a common cancer in many places around the word. It is a major cause of death especially among chain smokers although it can also adversely affect the overall health of other non smokers leading to development of other health problems.

The latest US lung cancer statistics for 2010 from National cancer Institute indicates that there were 222, 250 new cases of lung cancer and 157, 300 deaths within the same time. An earlier  survey that was done in 2007 shows that of the 203, 536 who were diagnosed with the disease in the US, 109,643 were men while 93, 893 were women. In the same year, 88, 329 men and 70, 354 women died from lung cancer.

In North America alone, lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer death in both men and women. In fact it is the second leading cause of death in the US after heart diseases. Statistics indicate that this cancer is responsible for 29% of cancer deaths which is more than the deaths from other cancers such as breast, prostrate, and colon cancer combined. Despite the fact men are afflicted by prostrate cancer while women are afflicted by breast cancer, lung cancer remains the deadliest of all cancers.

Current lung cancer statistics also show that the 5 year survival rate for white men is 13.7% of while that of white women is approximately 18.3%. On the contrary, the survival rate for black men and women is much lower at 10.8% and 14.5% respectively. Research also shows that more than 50% of new cases of lung cancer will unfortunately be detected at an advanced stage 3 or 4 and of these cases; about 5% will live for 5 years or more.

Smoking is regarded as the chief cause of lung cancer in both men and women. Of all reported cases, 90% of men and 80% of women were found with the smoke induced cancer. In addition, men also have a high prevalence rate than women smokers. Current statistics indicate that men who smoke are 23 times at risk than their non smoking counterparts. On the other hand, women smokers are 13 times at risk than non smoking counterparts.

Statistics for lung cancer stage diagnosis are also grim with survey indicting that more than half of the lung cancer cases are detected at a later stage. Only 16% of the case is diagnosed at the formative stage, 25% of cases are diagnosed at the lymph node, while 51% are diagnosed when the cancer has metastasized (spread extensively).

Lung cancer statistics also indicate that current smokers account for 35-40% of new reported cases. Former smokers account for 50% of new cases while those who have never smoked account for approximately 10-15% of all reported cases of lung cancer. There is a misconception that the effects of smoking on the lungs can be reversed, but the truth is that once the lungs have been damaged, there is no way it can be reversed to normal. Therefore, majority of smokers remain at high levels of risk.

Related Topics:

1. Lung Cancer Facts
2. Lung Cancer Causes
3. Lung Cancer Diagnosis
4. Lung Cancer Survival Rate
5. Lung Cancer Treatment
6. Lung Cancer Definition
7. Lung Cancer Stages