The one-year survival rate for lung cancer rose from 32 percent in 1973 to 41 percent in the 1990s. The five-year survival rate for all stages of lung cancer combined is 13 percent. However, the rate is 47 percent when localized. New treatment approaches for localized lung cancer will improve these statistics. This year, about 177,000 new diagnoses of lung cancer in this country are expected.
Cigarette smoking is the biggest risk factor in the development of lung cancer.
More than a third of teens take up the smoking habit, about 3 million teen-agers now smoke.