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Lung cancer statistics 2024

Each year, 230,000 new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed. Get updated lung cancer statistics here.
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By | Mar. 8, 2024 Medically reviewed by Josephine Bawab, Pharm.D.

What is lung cancer? | How common is lung cancer? | Lung cancer stats worldwide | Lung cancer stats in the U.S. | Lung cancer statistics by race and ethnicity | Lung cancer statistics by age | Lung cancer statistics by sex | Common complications | Costs | Causes | Treatment | FAQs 

Our lungs do a lot. They help us talk, exercise, meditate, cheer on our favorite team, tell that one joke that always gets mixed results, and do almost everything. And, even though we often take breathing for granted, lung cancer can make it pretty hard to forget. 

It’s one of the most prevalent cancers in the world, especially among older adults. But despite its well-earned reputation as a worrisome disease, its mortality rate is on the decline in the U.S. That’s thanks in part to a decrease in cigarette smoking and in part to effective screening and new treatments. Here are all of the important lung cancer facts you need. 

What is lung cancer?

Cancer starts with a single rogue cell. When that cell mutates, it may grow and divide faster than normal, forming tumors. Uninhibited, these cells will eventually spread to surrounding tissues. Cancer can affect any part of the body—skin, bones, blood, organs, you name it. With lung cancer, this mutation occurs around the bronchus, bronchioles, alveoli, or other lung tissues. 

Many people consider it to be a smoker’s disease, and for good reason. “Smokers are 15 to 30 times more likely to get lung cancer than those who do not,” says Dr. Chevon Rariy, MD, Chief Health Officer of Oncology Care Partners.

At the same time, “Lung cancer is very heterogeneous and is being seen in younger individuals that are non-smokers. It can affect lots of different people of different health statuses,” says Dr. Jack Jacoub, MD, Medical Director of the MemorialCare Cancer Institute at the Orange Coast and Saddleback Medical Centers. “So, it’s a lung disease we must all consider.”

The most common type of lung cancer is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and it includes adenocarcinomas, squamous cell cancer, and large cell carcinomas. NSCLC spreads more slowly than other lung cancers, but it is still important to catch it early. By comparison, small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is faster-growing and more aggressive, but it’s also less common. Both types of lung cancer can be difficult to distinguish from upper respiratory infections and chronic lung conditions in their early stages since they have similar symptoms, such as coughing, chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing, and fatigue. 

How common is lung cancer?

Lung cancer statistics worldwide

  • Around the world, there were 2.21 million new cases and 1.8 million new deaths from lung cancer in 2020. (WHO, 2022)
  • Lung cancer mortality rates and incidence rates are 2–3 times higher in transitioned countries than in transitioning (low or medium Human Development Index) countries. (CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 2021)
  • Smoking causes roughly two-thirds of lung cancer deaths worldwide. (CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 2021)

Lung cancer statistics in the U.S.

Lung cancer statistics by race and ethnicity

  • From 2016–2020, the lung cancer rates among men in the U.S. were as follows:
    • Black: 71.4 per 100,000 men
    • White: 64.4 per 100,000 men
    • American Indian and Alaska Native: 56.4 per 100,000 men
    • Asian and Pacific Islander: 40.2 per 100,000 men
    • Hispanic: 33.7 per 100,000 men
  • From 2016–2020, the lung cancer rates among women in the U.S. were as follows:
    • White: 53.9 per 100,000 women
    • American Indian and Alaska Native: 48.7 per 100,000 women
    • Black: 45.1 per 100,000 women
    • Asian and Pacific Islander: 27.6 per 100,000 women
    • Hispanic: 23.3 per 100,000 women

Source: CDC (2023)

Lung cancer statistics by age

  • Lung cancer incidence rates by age group in the U.S. (2016–2020):
    • Ages 20–34: 0.2%
    • Ages 35–44: 0.9%
    • Ages 45–54: 5.3%
    • Ages 55–64: 22.0%
    • Ages 65–74: 35.2%
    • Ages 75–84: 27.1%
    • Ages 84+: 9.3%
  • The median age of those who are diagnosed with lung cancer is 71 years of age.
  • Lung cancer mortality rates by age group in the U.S. (2016–2020):
    • Ages 20–34: 0.1%
    • Ages 35–44: 0.6%
    • Ages 45–54: 4.5%
    • Ages 55–64: 20.1%
    • Ages 65–74: 32.7%
    • Ages 75–84: 29.1%
    • Ages 84+: 13.1%
  • The median age of those who die from lung cancer is 72 years of age.

Source: National Cancer Institute

Lung cancer statistics by sex

  • Men have a 1 in 16 chance of developing lung cancer at some point in their lives. Women have a 1 in 17 chance. (American Cancer Society, 2023)
  • In 2019, men were 23% more likely than women to get lung cancer. (American Lung Association, 2023)
  • In 2021, the death rate for lung cancer was 37% higher among men than women in the U.S. (American Lung Association, 2023)

Common lung cancer complications

  • In 2020, the hospitalization rate for respiratory cancers was 31.4 per 100,000 people, down from 56.6 in 1995. (American Lung Association, 2023)
  • The five-year lung cancer survival rate is around 26% for people with lung cancer in the U.S. (CDC, 2023)
  • Around 10–12% of all cancer-related emergency room visits are because of lung cancer and about 66% of these patients get admitted. (Emergency Cancer Care, 2023)
  • Lung cancer accounts for an estimated 16% of all cancer-related ICU admissions. (Journal of Thoracic Oncology, 2011)
  • In 2020, 20.8% of people who had lung cancer underwent surgery. (American Lung Association, 2023)

The cost of lung cancer

  • In 2020, lung cancer care accounted for $23.8 billion in expenditures in the U.S., an increase of $2.7 billion since 2015. (National Cancer Institute, 2023)
  • In one study, chemotherapy and radiation costs ranged from $4,242 to $8,287 per month during the initial six months of treatment. (Cancer Medicine, 2019)

Causes of lung cancer

If the anti-smoking commercials, posters of toothless former smokers, and “smoking kills” taglines didn’t make it clear enough, cigarettes are bad for you, and lung cancer is one of their most prominent consequences. Cigarette smoke is loaded with carcinogens, which can affect the lungs with every puff. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that smoking is linked to 80–90% of all lung cancer deaths. 

However, there are several other risk factors for lung cancer. According to Dr. Rariy, “[They] include long-term exposure to air pollution, asbestos, environmental factors like secondhand smoke, or radon. Also, genetics and family history can play a role in increasing the risk of lung cancer.” Radon is lung cancer’s second-leading cause, according to the CDC. This colorless, odorless gas can rise up from soil and into buildings, so it’s good practice to test both office buildings and homes. 

Lung cancer prevention

There’s no 100% foolproof way to prevent lung cancer, and that’s because many lung cancer factors are genetic, according to Dr. Jacoub. “Your genetic makeup and your disposition, or lack thereof, to cancer—that’s out of your control,” he says. 

However, that doesn’t mean that we’re completely defenseless against it. “What is in patients’ control to reduce the risk of lung cancer is very much what’s in their control to reduce the risk of cancer in general. It’s trying to maintain a reasonable body mass index, exercising, reducing alcohol intake, not smoking, and perhaps trying to eat a more plant-based diet.” 

Dr. Rariy concurs that people hoping to avoid lung cancer should “quit smoking immediately, the sooner the better.” She also recommends avoiding secondhand smoke, avoiding radiation exposure, testing homes for radon gas, avoiding asbestos, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and exercising regularly. 

Early detection is also important. According to the American Lung Association, catching cancer before it spreads increases the five-year survival rate to 63%. “We hope that the diagnosis comes from screening in individuals who are at high risk for lung cancer because, in screening studies, you can find a spot in the lung and pursue that and make a diagnosis at a very early stage. And, that is the most critical factor in terms of curability,” says Dr. Jacoub. 

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends an annual lung cancer screening—including a low-dose CT scan—for people ages 50 to 80 years who have a 20-pack-year smoking history (those who smoked a pack per day for 20 years or two packs per day for 10 years) and currently smoke or quit smoking in the past 15 years. Many healthcare providers also recommend that anyone with a 20-pack-year smoking history get screened regularly, regardless of age. 

Treating lung cancer

Lung cancer treatment is exceptionally complex. Oncologists have various options at their disposal. “[Developing a treatment plan] involves taking a number of factors into consideration—lung cancer type, stage, patient-specific factors like age, overall health status, and patient preferences,” says Dr. Rariy.

First, doctors will determine the stage of the cancer by seeing where, if anywhere, it has spread. The next step is a biopsy and molecular profiling. “[These] define the genetic makeup of the cancer cell and which genes are turned on and off, plus which are more active and which are not active,” per Dr. Jacoub. This step is fundamental for nearly every case of lung cancer since it allows the healthcare provider to tailor the treatment to the specific patient. From there, the treatment progression depends on the stage.

Stages 1–2

Treatment for stage one or two lung cancer starts with surgery to remove the tumor and sample the lymph nodes. After that, additional treatment options, such as ​​targeted therapies, chemotherapy, radiation, or immunotherapies, can improve the cure rate. If the patient is too frail to go under the knife, doctors may use stereotactic radiosurgery instead, which sends a beam of radiation directly to the tumor.

Stage 3

Usually, in this stage, the oncologist, radiation oncologist, surgeon, and pulmonologist will collectively decide the best course of action. “There’s a sequence that has to be discussed because stage three is a basket of different issues that each has to be addressed,” says Dr. Jacoub. “You don’t just get radiation. You don’t just get surgery. You don’t just get drug therapy. You need multi-modality care, where you’re receiving multiple different types of therapies.”

Stage 4

In this stage, the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, and Dr. Jacoub says it’s beyond a total cure. However, he explains, “Treatment offers substantial benefit to patients. They live much longer if they receive treatment than if they do not.” This treatment is typically founded on drug therapy—either a targeted oral agent, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, or some combination thereof. 

Lung cancer questions and answers

What are the odds of surviving lung cancer?

Overall, the five-year survival rate is around 26%. However, it varies depending on how early it’s diagnosed. According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate was 65% between the years 2012 and 2018 for localized (not spread) cases. This 5-year survival rate dropped to 37% for regional cases (spread a little) and 9% for distant cases (spread a lot).

What are the stages of lung cancer?

Lung cancer has four stages:

  • Stage I: The cancer has penetrated the lung tissues but hasn’t reached the lymph nodes.
  • Stage II: The cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.
  • Stage III: The cancer has spread beyond the lymph nodes and further into the chest.
  • Stage IV: The cancer has escaped the chest cavity and begun to affect other organs. 

How common is lung cancer in non-smokers?

Around 10–20% of lung cancer cases in the U.S. occur in people who have never smoked or smoked less than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime, according to the CDC. 

Sources