About 1% to 2% of all lung cancers are carcinoids. This means there are about 3,000 newly diagnosed lung carcinoid tumors in the United States each year.

Carcinoid tumors are actually more common in the digestive tract than in the lungs. Only about 1 out of 4 carcinoid tumors start in the lungs.

Lung carcinoids are more common in whites than in African Americans, Asian Americans, or Hispanics/Latinos. They are also more common in women than in men.

In contrast with other types of lung cancer, carcinoids tend to be diagnosed in people who are slightly younger. The average age at diagnosis is around 60 years.

Information on survival rates for lung carcinoids can be found in the section, "How are lung carcinoid tumors staged?"

Last Medical Review: 03/09/2009
Last Revised: 03/09/2009