Joan's Legacy: Uniting Against Lung Cancer
27 Union Square West, Suite 304, New York, NY 10003 • ph: 212.627.5500 • fax: 212.627.7594
 
 

 
Lung Cancer is the World's Most Lethal Disease, and the #1 Cancer Killer in the United States8
In 2008, approximately 162,000 Americans will die of lung cancer.
Every day, approximately 440 Americans die from lung cancer.
Lung cancer will account for 15% of all new cancers diagnoses, but 29% of all cancer deaths this year.
More Americans die from lung cancer each year than colon, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers combined.

Every 2 ½  minutes another person is diagnosed with lung cancer.
Lung Cancer is a “Contemporary Epidemic in Women” & Their #1 Cancer Killer1,2,3,4

Lung cancer accounts for 1 of 4 cancer deaths among women, killing more women each year than breast, uterine and ovarian cancers combined.
The rate of lung cancer among women has risen 60% since 1990.
Lung cancer surpassed breast cancer as the #1 cancer killer of women in 1987.
31,000 more women will die of lung cancer than breast cancer this year.
80% of all nonsmokers diagnosed with lung cancer are women.
Stopping Smoking Will Improve Your Health, But It Will Not Cure
Lung Cancer 2,3,5,6,7
Over 60% of newly diagnosed lung cancer victims are former smokers or never smoked cigarettes in their lives.
Significant risk of lung cancer remains for 20 or more years after quitting smoking.

20,000 – 25,000 newly diagnosed lung cancer victims never smoked cigarettes - and these cases are on the rise.
Nonsmoking-related causes of lung cancer include:
 

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Air pollution - as high a cancer risk as living with a smoker.
Radon - the 2nd leading cause of lung cancer, after tobacco smoke.
Exposure to asbestos, uranium, arsenic, diesel fuel and other carcinogens.
Screening & Diagnosis Are Major Challenges
 

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In its early stages, lung cancer is often symptomless.
Symptoms can include persistent cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, hoarseness, recurrent pneumonia & bronchitis, fatigue, and weight loss.
Currently, there is no proven screening test for lung cancer, but studies are underway using a number of different technologies and tools.
Lung Cancer Does Not Respond to Most Existing Therapies 8
Only 16% of lung cancer is being diagnosed at its earliest and most curable stage.
The 5-year survival rate for breast cancer is now 87%, for prostate cancer 99% and for colon cancer 64%. The 5-year survival rate for lung cancer is 15%.
SOURCES
1 Cancer Facts and Figures 2008, American Cancer Society
2 Patel JD, Bach PR, Kris MG. Lung cancer in US women: A contemporary epidemic. JAMA. 2004; 291:1763-1768.
3 Nordquist LT, Simon GR, Cantor A, Alberts WM, Bepler G. Improved survival in never-smokers vs current smokers with primary adenocarcinoma of the lung. Chest. 2004;126:347-351.
4 Thomas L, Doyle LA, Edelman MJ. Lung cancer in women: Emerging differences in epidemiology, biology, and therapy. Chest. 2005;128:370-381.
5 Warner EE, Mulshine JL. Lung cancer screening with spiral CT: toward a working strategy. Oncology (Williston Park). 2004 May;18(5):564-75, discussion 578, 583-4, 587.
6 Ebbert JO, Yang P, Vachon CM, Vierkant RA, Cerhan JR, Folsom AR, Sellers TA. Lung cancer risk reduction after smoking cessation: Observations from a prospective cohort of women. J Clin Oncol. 2003;21(5);921-926.
7 Furak J, Trojan I, Szoke T, et al. Bronchioloalveolar Lung Carcinoma:. Occurrence, surgical treatment & survival. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2003;23:818-823.
8 Lung Cancer Alliance 2008 Fact Sheet http://www.lungcanceralliance.org/documents/lungcancer_factsheet_2008.pdf

 

 
 
 
Joan's Legacy is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.