They'd be wrong. Lung cancer kills more women every year than any other cancer. Since 1987, more women have died each year of lung cancer than of breast cancer. Lung cancer will kill approximately 67,300 women in the United States this year - more than breast and ovarian cancer combined.
Women now account for nearly half of all new lung cancer cases.
While overall cancer rates are declining, lung cancer rates among women continue to rise. This trend is likely to increase as smoking increases among adolescent girls. 23 million American women smoke. Recent research shows that women are 1.5 times more likely to develop lung cancer than men, despite smoking fewer cigarettes and inhaling less deeply. Genetic differences may be a cause.