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Statistics

More people die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer. This is true for both men and women. In 2005 (the most recent year for which statistics are currently available), lung cancer accounted for more deaths than breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer combined.^† In that year,

• 107,416 men and 89,271 women were diagnosed with lung cancer*^†
• 90,139 men and 69,078 women died from lung cancer*^†

Among men in the United States, lung cancer is the second most common cancer among white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Hispanic men. Among women in the United States, lung cancer is the second most common cancer among white, black, and American Indian/Alaska Native women, and the third most common cancer among Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic women.^†

*Note: Incidence counts cover 96% of the U.S. population and death counts cover 100% of the U.S. population. Use caution in comparing incidence and death counts.

^†Source: U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 1999–2005 Incidence and Mortality Web-based Report. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute; 2009. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/uscs.