Facts And Statistics About Lung Cancer

06 Apr, 2021

Dr. Rajesh Bollam

Lung cancer is the most common cancer in the world. According to the American Lung Association, there were 2.1 million new cases in 2018, as well as 1.8 million deaths from lung cancer.

The most common type is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), accounting for 80 to 85 percent of all cases, according to the Lung Cancer Alliance.

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) represents about 15 to 20 percent of lung cancers. At the time of diagnosis, 2 out of 3 people with SCLC are already in the extensive stage.

Anyone can get lung cancer, but smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke is linked to about 90 percent of lung cancer cases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Trusted Source, cigarette smokers are 15 to 30 times more likely to get lung cancer than nonsmokers.

In the United States, each year about 7,300 people who never smoked die from lung cancer caused by secondhand smoke.

Former smokers are still at risk of developing lung cancer, but quitting can significantly lower that risk. Within 10 years of quitting, the risk of dying from lung cancer drops by half Trusted Source.

Tobacco products contain more than 7,000 chemicals. At least 70 are known carcinogens.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon is responsible for about 21,000 lung cancer deaths every year in the United States. About 2,900 of these deaths occur among people who have never smoked.

Black people are at higher risk of developing and dying from lung cancer than other racial and ethnic groups

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Facts And Statistics About Lung Cancer

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