This means that the average age at death is 57 years for a person dying from lung cancer before the age of 65. Smoking accounts for about 30 percent of all cancer deaths. Approximately 20 percent of North Dakota adults currently smoke. About 20 percent of North Dakota students in grades 9-12 smoke regularly. While the prevalence of smoking among North Dakota adults has been stabilizing, smoking by teens has sharply increased.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in North Dakota and in the United States.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for men and the second leading cause of cancer deaths for women in North Dakota. The death rate for lung cancer among women is rising.