Lung cancer, caused primarily by cigarette smoking, continues to be the number one cause of cancer death, according to a recent report from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (6/01).  Lung cancer now accounts for more than 28% of all cancer deaths--and most of these are preventable. 

The good news is that the study found that lung cancer incidence among women is declining; the bad news is that death from lung cancer in women is up slightly.

And the gender differences are striking: new lung cancer cases declined by more than 10 times in men compared to women  [2.7 percent per year among men and by 0.2 percent per year among women between 1992 and 1998].

The gender gap is also clear in death rates from lung cancer: death rates among men decreased by 1.9 percent per year, but rose by 0.8 percent per year among women. Lung cancer death rates in women have slowed, however, since the 1970s.

Other good news about lung cancer is that rates of new smokers have decreased across our population...the bad news is that teenage girls continue to increase smoking.  The best way to prevent lung cancer is not to start smoking...And if you already smoke, to quit today. 

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Created: 8/21/2001  -  Donnica Moore, M.D.