120

LUNG CANCER

160,000100
LUNG &
BRONCHUS

80
Male
Female

120,000

Annual US Deaths

60

F A C T

PROSTATE
120

40

20

LUNG CANCER BURDEN

100

BREAST

n
1975

1985

More people die from lung cancer than prostate, breast and colorectal cancer
80
(1)
Male in America.
2005combined, making it the leading cancer killer
Female

1995

Source: SEER Cancer Statistics Review

COLORECTAL

60
In 1987, lung cancer surpassed breast
cancer as the leading cancer killer among
(1)
American women.
40

Other
Cancers

Lung
Cancer

Current
Smokers
160,000

Former
Smokers

INCIDENCE
n

Since surveillance began in 1975, the lung cancer

incidence rate has decreasedLUNG
by a &quarter among
(2)
BRONCHUS
women.
0% men but doubled among
50%
100%
It peaked for men in 1984, but not until 1998 for
PROSTATE
women. This
reflects the historical smoking trend by
gender, with men having higher smoking rates than
women and reaching a peak at an earlier date. (3)
80,000

39%

Squamous
21%

Smoking
is the leading cause of lung cancer,
0
accountingOther
for close to 90% ofLung
all lung cancer
Cancer
deaths. (3)Cancers
Current
Smokers

Former
Smokers

20

Never
Smokers

64.9% 50%

0%

30%

20%
10%

Small Cell
14%

gnosis

e Survival

PROSTATE

197580,000

1985

1995

BREAST

40,000
COLORECTAL

LUNG
&
Squamous cell carcinoma used to
be most
strongly associated
BRONCHUS
with smoking. However, the proportion of lung cancers classi120,000
fied
as adenocarcinoma has increased since the 1960s, as has
50%
100%
the risk of 0%this
type among smokers.
This increased
risk is likely
PROSTATE
due to changes in cigarette design and composition. (3)

100%

Smokers

80,000

Smokers

Large Cell 3%

16.6%

Other causes include secondhand smoke,

occupational exposure, air pollution, asbestos and
genetic predisposition. (5) (6)Large Cell 3%
Colon &
Rectum

Breast

Non-Small
Cell
86%
15%

40,000

Small Cell
Non-Small
14%
COLORECTAL
Cell

86%

Prostate

It is not always possible to identify a cause for lung

cancer.

Adenocarcinoma
39%

Other
NSC
23%

22%
54%

Smokers

BREAST

Radon exposure is the second leading cause, and

the first among people who have never smoked. (4)

Lung &
Bronchus

2005

There are two main types of lung cancer, small cell and nonsmall cell (NSCLC),
with the latter being further broken down
0
by the type of cell inOther
which the cancer
Lungdevelops: adenocarCancers
Cancer
cinoma,
160,000 squamous cell carcinoma, large cell carcinoma and
(2)
several other less
common types.
Current
Former
Never

60%

120,000

80%

40%

LUNG &
BRONCHUS

Source: SEER Cancer Statistics Review

89.2%

90%

2005

Male
Female

60

40

99.2%

100%

50%

160,000

TYPES

Other
NSC
23%

CAUSES

1995

80

Lung cancer incidence

mortality is highest
Largeand
Cell 3%
among blacks compared to other racial and
ethnic groups. (2)
Adenocarcinoma
Non-Small
Cell
COLORECTAL
86%

1985

100

BREAST

Small Cell 40,000

14%

1975

Source: SEER Cancer Statistics Review

Never
Smokers

120,000

20

120

Rate per 1000,000 Population

80,000

40,000

70%

S H E E T

Adenocarcinoma
39%
Other
NSC
23%
Squamous
21%

Other
Cancers

Lung
Cancer

57%

Lung.org
Squamous
21%

Current
1-800-LUNGUSA

Smokers

Former

Smokers
26%

Never

Smokers
4%
99.2%

Other
Cancers

Lung
Cancer

Current
Smokers

Former
Smokers

Never
Smokers

TREATMENT
Lung cancer is treated
with surgery,
radiation
therapy, chemotherapy
or targeted therapy alone or in combination. (7)
0%
50%
100%
Large Cell
3%

Targeted therapy for lung cancer is an emerging approach where medicines are designed for specific types of NSCLC
(8)
tumor mutations.
Adenocarcinoma
Small Cell
Non-Small

39%

14%

These mutationsCell
only occur in a portion
of NSCLC cases.
Other

86%

NSC

23%
Currently, drugs are available that targetLarge
twoCellmutations
which occur in about 20% of NSCLC cases combined (EGFR 15%,
3%
Squamous
(9)
ALK 5%). Research continues for drugs that could
21% target some of the other NSCLC mutations that have been found.

Non-Small
Cell
86%

Small Cell
14%

Adenocarcinoma
39%
Other
NSC
23%

SURVIVAL
Squamous
n
21%

99.2%

100%

5-Year Survival Rate

80%

64.9%

70%
60%

100%

50%

90%

99.2%
89.2%

80%

40%

64.9%

70%

30%

16.6%

50%

10%

40%
30%
20%
Lung &
Bronchus
10%

e at Diagnosis

15%

Relative Survival

Stage at Diagnosis

5-Year Relative Survival

16.6%

Colon &
Rectum

Breast

Lung &
Bronchus

Colon &
Rectum

Low-dose spiral CT scans can help detect lung tumors at

earlier stages and have been shown to decrease mortality
by 14% among high risk populations. (10) If half of those who
qualify as high risk received screening, over 13,000 lung
cancer deaths could be prevented. (11) (13)

Quitting smoking remains the best way to reduce your risk

of developing or dying from lung cancer (12) followed by
testing your home for radon and fixing high levels.(5)

60%

20%

One of the reasons lung cancer survival rates are so poor is

few cases are diagnosed in early stages when survival is
better. (2) Screening for lung cancer offers the hope of
increased detection at earlier stages and subsequent better
survival.
n

89.2%

90%

Lung cancer survival rates are low, especially compared to

those of other leading cancers with screening modalities. (2)

Prostate

Breast

Prostate

Those diagnosed at localized stages have survival rates of over 50 percent, compared to only 4% for those diagnosed in
(3)
distant stages after the cancer
has spread.
22%
57%
15%

Localized (confined to primary site)

54%

22%

57%
54%

Regional (spread to regional lymph nodes)

Localized (confined to primary site)

Regional (spread to regional lymph nodes)

1.

8.

2.

9.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Health Statistics.
CDC WONDER On-line Database, compiled from Compressed Mortality File 1999-2010
Series 20 No. 2P, 2013.
U.S. National Institutes of Health. National Cancer Institute: SEER Cancer Statistics
Review, 1973-2010.
3.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of

Smoking50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. 2014.
4.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Air - Indoor Air - Radon - Health Risks.
March 19, 2013. http://www.epa.gov/radon/healthrisks.html.
5.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What Are The Risk Factors? Lung
Cancer. Basic Information. November 21, 2013. http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/lung/
basic_info/risk_factors.htm.
6.

International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC Scientific Publication No. 161: Air
Pollution and Cancer. 2013.
7.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lung Cancer: Basic Information.
How Is Lung Cancer Diagnosed and Treated? November 21, 2013. http://www.cdc.gov/
cancer/lung/basic_info/diagnosis_treatment.htm.

Distant (cancer has metastisized)

Distant (cancer has metastisized)

26%

4%

26%Unstaged tumors not shown4%

Unstaged tumors not shown

National Cancer Institute. Treatment: Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment - Health
Professional Version. May 30, 2013. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/
non-small-cell-lung/healthprofessional.
Hirsch FR. Recent advances in biomarker research in lung cancer with special reference
to new targeted therapies. Presented at 13th International Lung Cancer Congress, July
19-22, 2012. Huntington Beach, CA.
10.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Lung Cancer: U.S. Preventive
Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. AHRQ Publication No. 13-05196EF-3. December 2013. http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf13/
lungcan/lungcanfinalrs.htm.
11.

The National Lung Screening Trial Research Team. Reduced Lung-Cancer Mortality
with Low-Dose Computed Tomographic Screening. New England Journal of Medicine,
2011; 365:396-409.
12.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lung Cancer: Basic Information.
What Can I Do to Reduce My Risk? November 21, 2013. http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/
lung/basic_info/prevention.htm.
13.

Ma J, Ward EM, Smith R, Jernal A. Annual Number of Lung Cancer Deaths Potentially
Avertable by Screening in the United States. Cancer. April 1, 2013; 119(7):1381-5.