Click below for the most current statistics
and facts about Lung Cancer...
Lung Cancer Facts
Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in both men and women. It kills more
Americans each year than breast, prostate, colorectal, liver, kidney
and melanoma cancers combined.
Approximately
50% of those diagnosed with lung cancer either never smoked, or quit smoking at
the time of diagnosis.
Lung cancer
kills 85% of newly diagnosed patients within five years. The 5-year survival
rate is 48% for cases detected when the disease is localized to the lung, but
only 15% of lung cancers are detected that early.
In 2007,
30,000 people who have never smoked will be diagnosed with lung cancer.
Every 30
seconds, someone, somewhere in the world dies of lung cancer.
Congress
earmarks funding within CDC for specific cancers. The 2005 budget includes $204
million for breast and cervical cancer research, $14 million for prostate
cancer research, and $14.6 million for colon cancer research. The 2005 budget included $0 for lung
cancer research.
In 2005,
approximately $1,200 was spent on research per lung cancer death, compared
with:
- $23,474 per breast cancer death
- $14,369 per prostate cancer death
- $5,216 per colorectal cancer death
- 1,829 per lung cancer death
There is
hope! On Wednesday, October 26, 2006 the New England Journal of Medicine published
a paper by Claudia Henschke, MD and David Yankelevitz,
MD showing that with CT Screening, lung cancer can be detected at the
earliest stage (Stage I) in 85% of patients and can lead to an estimated 10
year survival rate of 88%. The estimated 10 year survival rate goes even
higher, to 92%, for those whose early detected cancers are removed immediately.