Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in most countries.
U.S. black men were near the highest, with an incidence rate of 90.0 per 100,000. Low rates were noted for Israel, India, and Latin American countries. The decrease is greatest among white men, but a decrease among black men and white and black women has also occurred. If trends continue, overall lung cancer mortality rates will start to decline among men in the 1990s and among women after the year 2000. Cigarette smoking is the major cause of lung cancer.