Lung cancer is more common among men than women, but that fact may be changing. Over the past decade in the United States, both the number of deaths from lung cancer and the number of new cases of lung cancer have increased in women and declined in men. American Cancer Society statistics estimate that over 170,000 new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed in the United States in 1998. Fortunately, advances in treatment are improving outcomes for people with lung cancer. A dramatic difference could be seen with more effective smoking cessation programs for smokers and, more importantly, if young people never pick up the habit.
Lung cancer occurs later in life, often after the person has been smoking for many years.
Smoking avoidance can be lifesaving. The two types respond differently to treatment and carry different prognoses. Non-small cell lung cancer is the more common type of lung cancer. Further details about these types is available on other websites and from organizations such as The National Cancer Institute's Cancernet and The American Cancer Society's Cancer Resource Center , and of course, your physician. Small cell lung cancer responds well to chemotherapy and radiation.