Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, and it is estimated that smoking is the principle cause of about 90% of lung cancer in men and almost 80% in women. Smoking also can contribute to cancer of the voicebox (larynx), mouth and throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, pancreas, cervix, and stomach, and acute myeloid leukemia.
In the United States in 2007 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), 109,643 men and 93,893 women were told they had lung cancer, and 88,329 men and 70,354 women died from it.
The graph shows how many people out of 100,000 got lung cancer in 2007; this is called the incidence rate.* The lung cancer incidence rates are grouped by race and ethnicity and gender.
Among men, black men were diagnosed with lung cancer most often, followed by white, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic men. Overall, 80.5 out of every 100,000 men were told they had lung cancer in 2007.
Among women, white women had the most new cases of lung cancer, followed by black, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic women. Overall, 54.5 out of every 100,000 women were diagnosed with lung cancer in 2007.
Prevention
You can reduce your risk of developing lung cancer in several ways.
- Don't smoke. If you do smoke, quit now.
- Avoid secondhand smoke. There is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke exposure.
- Have your home tested for radon and take corrective actions if high levels are found.
- Avoid unnecessary medical tests that involve X-ray images of the chest.
- Follow health and safety guidelines in the workplace and avoid exposures to substances known to cause lung cancer (such as asbestos, arsenic, chloromethyl ethers, chromium, nickel, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons).
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