Most lung cancer statistics include both small cell and non-small cell lung cancers. In general, small cell lung cancer accounts for about 10% to 15% of all lung cancers.
Lung cancer (both small cell and non-small cell) is the second most common cancer in men (after prostate cancer) and women (after breast cancer). It accounts for about 14% of all new cancers.
The American Cancer Society's most recent estimates for lung cancer in the United States are for 2012:
- About 226,160 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed (116,470 in men and 109,690 among women).
- There will be an estimated 160,340 deaths from lung cancer (87,750 in men and 72,590 among women), accounting for about 28% of all cancer deaths.
Lung cancer mainly occurs in older people. About 2 out of 3 people diagnosed with lung cancer are older than 65; fewer than 3% of all cases are found in people under the age of 45. The average age at the time of diagnosis is about 71.
Overall, the chance that a man will develop lung cancer in his lifetime is about 1 in 13; for a woman, the risk is about 1 in 16. These numbers include both smokers and non-smokers. For smokers the risk is much higher, while for non-smokers the risk is lower.
Black men are about 40% more likely to develop lung cancer than white men. The rate is about the same in black women and in white women. Both black and white women have lower rates than men, but the gap is closing. The lung cancer rate has been dropping among men for many years. In women, the rate has just begun to drop after a long period of increasing.
Statistics on survival in people with lung cancer vary depending on the stage (extent) of the cancer when it is diagnosed. Survival statistics based on the stage of the cancer are discussed in the section, "How is small cell lung cancer staged?"
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