The Facts
More men die of lung cancer than any other cancer. For women, it's the second
largest killer, after breast cancer. It usually occurs between the ages
of 65 and 75. The majority of lung cancers start in the bronchi, the
airways leading to the lungs. There are different types of lung cancer. The
most common is called squamous cell carcinoma. Other types of lung cancer
are small cell carcinoma or oat cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma,
and large cell carcinoma. Each type grows at a different rate and responds
differently to treatment. Except for adenocarcinoma, most lung cancers are related
to smoking. Cancer that has spread from other parts of the body to the lungs
is also common.
There are an estimated 175,000 new cases of lung cancer lung cancer diagnosed in the United States each year and rates for women are only half as high as the rates for men but are about twice as high as their rates in 1975.