Lung Cancer Facts: 8 Things Women Need to Know About Lung Cancer by Joyce Knestrick, CRNP, FAANP

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the world. It is estimated that 238,340 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer. One in 16 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer during their lifetime (1 in 16 men and 1 in 17 women). 

Once thought of as a male smoker’s disease, lung cancer is shattering stigmas. Here’s what women need to know about the deadliest cancer: 

• Lung cancer is one of the deadliest cancers for women, along with breast cancer, colorectal cancer, cervical cancer and ovarian cancer.

• Lung cancer is the second most common type of cancer in women in the U.S., and the leading cause of cancer death.
  

• For nonsmokers, women are at a higher risk of developing lung cancer than men. Studies shows that the rate for nonsmoking women getting lung cancer rose from 14.4 to 20.8 percent compared to men, which went from 4.8 and 13.7 percent.

• Lung cancer is more likely to occur in former smokers than current smokers.

• Women are typically diagnosed slightly younger than men.

• Men and women tend to develop different kinds of lung cancers.

• The survival rate for women is higher than for men at all stages.
  
   

Lung cancer is the most common of all the cancers, and it affects women differently than men. No one is immune to lung cancer, and awareness is critical to beating it!

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