It spreads at a slower rate than other lung cancer and often begins in the bronchial tubes. Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer in women and in people who have never smoked. It usually begins along the outer edges of the lungs and under the lining of the bronchi. Large cell carcinomas are a group of cancer with large abnormal looking cells. These tumors usually begin along the outer edges of the lung.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women.
Smoking is responsible for up to 80 percent of lung cancer. Developing slowly, its symptoms can go undetected for as long as 10 to 20 years. Incidence of lung cancer among women began to slow in the last decade in 1996 the rate in women was 42.3 per 100,000. Since 1987, more women have died each year of lung cancer than breast cancer. Decreasing smoking rates among women lag behind men.