Expand All Collapse All

Statistics at a Glance

At a Glance

Estimated New Cases in 2020 228,820

% of All New Cancer Cases 12.7%

Estimated Deaths in 2020 135,720

% of All Cancer Deaths 22.4%

5-Year
Relative Survival

20.5% 2010–2016
Year Rate of New Cases — SEER 9 Rate of New Cases — SEER 13 Death Rate — U.S. 5-Year Relative Survival — SEER 9
Observed Modeled Trend Observed Modeled Trend Observed Modeled Trend Observed Modeled Trend
1975 52.24 53.37 - - 42.56 42.77 11.50% 11.63%
1976 55.41 54.72 - - 44.20 44.04 12.60% 11.77%
1977 56.69 56.10 - - 45.49 45.34 12.70% 11.91%
1978 57.84 57.52 - - 46.88 46.69 13.05% 12.05%
1979 58.62 58.98 - - 47.69 48.07 12.93% 12.20%
1980 60.65 60.47 - - 49.41 49.49 12.60% 12.34%
1981 62.03 62.00 - - 49.99 50.38 12.77% 12.48%
1982 63.29 63.57 - - 51.43 51.28 13.24% 12.63%
1983 63.45 64.17 - - 52.40 52.20 13.50% 12.77%
1984 65.49 64.78 - - 53.36 53.14 12.67% 12.92%
1985 64.61 65.40 - - 54.32 54.10 13.16% 13.07%
1986 65.77 66.02 - - 55.04 55.07 12.87% 13.21%
1987 67.90 66.65 - - 56.24 56.05 12.82% 13.36%
1988 68.06 67.29 - - 56.97 57.06 13.07% 13.51%
1989 67.56 67.93 - - 57.90 58.09 13.44% 13.66%
1990 68.08 68.57 - - 58.85 59.13 13.37% 13.81%
1991 69.19 69.22 - - 58.99 59.00 13.71% 13.97%
1992 69.46 68.75 67.03 66.84 58.90 58.87 13.95% 14.12%
1993 67.75 68.27 65.71 66.18 59.13 58.74 14.29% 14.27%
1994 67.17 67.80 64.69 65.53 58.54 58.61 14.31% 14.43%
1995 66.85 67.33 64.96 64.88 58.38 58.48 14.64% 14.58%
1996 66.46 66.86 64.37 64.24 57.91 57.92 14.68% 14.74%
1997 66.63 66.40 63.82 63.61 57.51 57.37 14.79% 14.90%
1998 67.55 65.94 64.44 62.98 57.08 56.82 14.70% 15.06%
1999 65.83 65.48 62.89 62.36 55.42 56.28 15.27% 15.21%
2000 64.14 65.03 60.80 61.74 55.85 55.75 15.78% 15.37%
2001 64.16 64.58 60.86 61.13 55.32 55.22 15.11% 15.53%
2002 64.06 64.13 60.33 60.53 55.00 54.69 15.69% 16.00%
2003 64.77 63.69 60.61 59.93 54.19 54.17 16.16% 16.47%
2004 62.24 63.25 58.61 59.34 53.37 53.66 16.89% 16.95%
2005 63.03 62.81 59.04 58.75 52.85 53.15 17.55% 17.43%
2006 62.30 62.37 58.04 58.17 51.73 51.86 17.70% 17.92%
2007 62.10 61.94 57.73 57.60 50.71 50.61 18.51% 18.42%
2008 60.39 60.58 56.11 56.27 49.59 49.39 19.00% 18.92%
2009 59.99 59.26 56.02 54.97 48.41 48.20 19.76% 19.42%
2010 57.73 57.96 53.44 53.70 47.42 47.04 19.49% 19.93%
2011 56.25 56.69 51.87 52.46 46.02 45.90 20.63% 20.45%
2012 55.26 55.45 50.83 51.24 44.96 44.80 19.98% 21.41%
2013 54.11 54.23 49.53 50.06 43.47 43.72 - 22.39%
2014 53.20 53.04 48.93 48.90 42.24 42.66 - 23.39%
2015 51.86 51.88 48.04 47.77 40.68 40.55 - 24.40%
2016 51.14 50.75 47.04 46.67 38.51 38.54 - 25.42%
2017 49.45 49.63 45.60 45.59 36.69 36.63 - 26.45%
2018 - - - - 34.75 34.81 - 27.50%

New cases come from SEER 13. Deaths come from U.S. Mortality.
All Races, Both Sexes. Rates are Age-Adjusted.
Modeled trend lines were calculated from the underlying rates using the Joinpoint Trend Analysis Software.

New cases are also referred to as incident cases in other publications. Rates of new cases are also referred to as incidence rates.

Rate of New Cases and Deaths per 100,000: The rate of new cases of lung and bronchus cancer was 54.2 per 100,000 men and women per year. The death rate was 38.5 per 100,000 men and women per year. These rates are age-adjusted and based on 2013–2017 cases and 2014–2018 deaths.

Lifetime Risk of Developing Cancer: Approximately 6.3 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with lung and bronchus cancer at some point during their lifetime, based on 2015–2017 data.

Prevalence of This Cancer: In 2017, there were an estimated 558,250 people living with lung and bronchus cancer in the United States.

Play Did You Know Video
Did you know?
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the United States.
Did You Know? Video Series

Survival Statistics

How Many People Survive 5 Years Or More after Being Diagnosed with Lung and Bronchus Cancer?

Relative survival is an estimate of the percentage of patients who would be expected to survive the effects of their cancer. It excludes the risk of dying from other causes. Because survival statistics are based on large groups of people, they cannot be used to predict exactly what will happen to an individual patient. No two patients are entirely alike, and treatment and responses to treatment can vary greatly.

20.5%

5-Year
Relative Survival

20.5%

Based on data from SEER 18 2010–2016. Gray figures represent those who have died from lung and bronchus cancer. Green figures represent those who have survived 5 years or more.

Additional Information

Survival by Stage

Cancer stage at diagnosis, which refers to extent of a cancer in the body, determines treatment options and has a strong influence on the length of survival. In general, if the cancer is found only in the part of the body where it started it is localized (sometimes referred to as stage 1). If it has spread to a different part of the body, the stage is regional or distant. The earlier lung and bronchus cancer is caught, the better chance a person has of surviving five years after being diagnosed. For lung and bronchus cancer, 17.0% are diagnosed at the local stage. The 5-year relative survival for localized lung and bronchus cancer is 59.0%.

Percent of Cases & 5-Year Relative Survival by Stage at Diagnosis: Lung and Bronchus Cancer
Stage Percent of Cases 5-Year Relative Survival
Localized
Confined to Primary Site		 17% 59.0%
Regional
Spread to Regional Lymph Nodes		 22% 31.7%
Distant
Cancer Has Metastasized		 57% 5.8%
Unknown
Unstaged		 4% 8.3%

SEER 18 2010–2016, All Races, Both Sexes by SEER Summary Stage 2000

Additional Information

New Cases and Deaths

How Common Is This Cancer?

Compared to other cancers, lung and bronchus cancer is fairly common.

Rank Common Types of Cancer Estimated New
Cases 2020		 Estimated
Deaths 2020
1. Breast Cancer (Female) 276,480 42,170
2. Lung and Bronchus Cancer 228,820 135,720
3. Prostate Cancer 191,930 33,330
4. Colorectal Cancer 147,950 53,200
5. Melanoma of the Skin 100,350 6,850
6. Bladder Cancer 81,400 17,980
7. Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 77,240 19,940
8. Kidney and Renal Pelvis Cancer 73,750 14,830
9. Uterine Cancer 65,620 12,590
10. Leukemia 60,530 23,100

Lung and bronchus cancer represents 12.7% of all new cancer cases in the U.S.

12.7%

In 2020, it is estimated that there will be 228,820 new cases of lung and bronchus cancer and an estimated 135,720 people will die of this disease.

Who Gets This Cancer?

Lung cancer is more common in men than women, particularly African American men. Smoking is widely recognized as the leading cause of lung cancer. The rate of new cases of lung and bronchus cancer was 54.2 per 100,000 men and women per year based on 2013–2017 cases, age-adjusted.

Rate of New Cases per 100,000 Persons by Race/Ethnicity & Sex: Lung and Bronchus Cancer
Males
All Races 61.7
White 62.2
Black 71.2
Asian/Pacific Islander 46.2
American Indian/Alaska Native 43.5
Hispanic 35.1
Non-Hispanic 65.3
Females
All Races 48.6
White 51.5
Black 43.8
Asian/Pacific Islander 28.6
American Indian/Alaska Native 34.3
Hispanic 24.8
Non-Hispanic 51.9

SEER 21 2013–2017, Age-Adjusted

Percent of New Cases by Age Group: Lung and Bronchus Cancer
Age Range Percent of New Cases
<20 0.0%
20–34 0.2%
35–44 0.9%
45–54 6.6%
55–64 21.8%
65–74 34.1%
75–84 26.6%
>84 9.7%

Lung and bronchus cancer is most frequently diagnosed among people aged 65–74.

Median Age
At Diagnosis

71

SEER 21 2013–2017, All Races, Both Sexes

Who Dies From This Cancer?

Death rates for lung cancer are higher among the middle-aged and older populations. Lung and bronchus cancer is the first leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The death rate was 38.5 per 100,000 men and women per year based on 2014–2018 deaths, age-adjusted.

Death Rate per 100,000 Persons by Race/Ethnicity & Sex: Lung and Bronchus Cancer
Males
All Races 46.9
White 47.1
Black 55.4
Asian/Pacific Islander 28.0
American Indian/Alaska Native 38.4
Hispanic 23.0
Non-Hispanic 49.3
Females
All Races 32.0
White 33.3
Black 29.7
Asian/Pacific Islander 16.3
American Indian/Alaska Native 27.4
Hispanic 12.3
Non-Hispanic 34.0

U.S. 2014–2018, Age-Adjusted

Percent of Deaths by Age Group: Lung and Bronchus Cancer
Age Range Percent of Deaths
<20 0.0%
20–34 0.1%
35–44 0.6%
45–54 5.3%
55–64 20.3%
65–74 32.4%
75–84 28.3%
>84 12.9%

The percent of lung and bronchus cancer deaths is highest among people aged 65–74.

Median Age
At Death

72

U.S. 2014–2018, All Races, Both Sexes

Trends in Rates

Changes Over Time

Keeping track of new cases, deaths, and survival over time (trends) can help scientists understand whether progress is being made and where additional research is needed to address challenges, such as improving screening or finding better treatments.

Using statistical models for analysis, age-adjusted rates for new lung and bronchus cancer cases have been falling on average 2.2% each year over 2008–2017. Age-adjusted death rates have been falling on average 3.6% each year over 2009–2018. 5-year relative survival trends are shown below.

New Cases, Deaths and 5-Year Relative Survival
View Data Table

Interactive Statistics with SEER*Explorer

With SEER*Explorer, you can...
  • Create custom graphs and tables
  • Download data and images
  • Share links to results

SEER*Explorer is an interactive website that provides easy access to a wide range of SEER cancer statistics. It provides detailed statistics for a cancer site by gender, race, calendar year, age, and for a selected number of cancer sites, by stage and histology.

Explore Additional Lung and Bronchus Cancer Statistics

More About This Cancer

Cancer and the Lung

Illustration of lungs.
Figure: Respiratory Anatomy
Click to enlarge.
Figure: Respiratory Anatomy

Figure: Respiratory anatomy; drawing shows right lung with upper, middle, and lower lobes; left lung with upper and lower lobes; and the trachea, bronchi, lymph nodes, and diaphragm. Inset shows bronchioles, alveoli, artery, and vein.

There are two main categories of lung cancer: non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer. Each type of non-small cell lung cancer has different of cancer cells, which grow and spread in different ways:

  • Squamous cell carcinoma (also called epidermoid carcinoma).
  • Large cell carcinoma: Cancer that may begin in several types of large cells.
  • Adenocarcinoma: Cancer that begins in the cells that line the alveoli and make substances such as mucus.

Other less common types of non-small cell lung cancer are: pleomorphic, carcinoid tumor, salivary gland carcinoma, and unclassified carcinoma.

There are two main types of small cell lung cancer, again according to cell type: small cell carcinoma (oat cell cancer) and combined small cell carcinoma.

Additional Information

More Information

Here are some resources for learning more about lung cancer.

References

All statistics in this report are based on statistics from SEER and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. Most can be found within SEER*Explorer.

Suggested Citation

All material in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.

SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Lung and Bronchus Cancer. National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/lungb.html

These stat facts focus on population statistics that are based on the U.S. population. Because these statistics are based on large groups of people, they cannot be used to predict exactly what will happen to an individual patient. To see tailored statistics, browse SEER*Explorer. To see statistics for a specific state, go to the State Cancer Profiles.

The statistics presented in these stat facts are based on the most recent data available, most of which can be found in SEER*Explorer. In some cases, different year spans may be used.

Estimates of new cases and deaths for 2020 are projections made by the American Cancer Society (ACS), based on earlier reported data.

Cancer is a complex topic. There is a wide range of information available. These stat facts do not address causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care, or decision making, although links are provided to information in many of these areas.