Women and Lung Cancer

Did you know that there are important differences between men and women with respect to lung cancer?

• Women are 1.5 times more likely than men to develop lung cancer.¹

• Women who never smoked are more likely to develop lung cancer than men who have never smoked.²

• Researchers are finding that the effects of tobacco seem to be far more damaging to women than men.³

• Lung cancer kills more women than any other cancer.⁴

• In addition to the burden of lung cancer on women as patients, women are often the primary caregivers of the 12,200 men who are diagnosed with lung cancer each year.

• Over the last 30 years, lung cancer has increased in young women and decreased in young men ages 20-44.⁵

References:
¹JAMA. 2004; 291:1768Lung Cancer in US Women
²JAMA. 2004; 291:1768Lung Cancer in US Women
³JAMA. 2004; 291:1768Lung Cancer in US Women
⁴Canadian Cancer Society, 2004
⁵Ontario Cancer Registry, 2001