WinningQuitters.com - Lung Cancer Statistics

A Look At Lung Cancer Statistics

If you are looking for some lung cancer statistics, you are reading the right article. You are probably aware that the majority of the people who die from cancer every year are victims of lung cancer. In fact, lung cancer deaths makes up 30% of all types of cancer related deaths. These lung cancer statistics, make lung cancer the second highest cause of death among people.

Fortunately, it is actually possible to prevent many of these deaths by stopping smoking, because according to lung cancer statistics, 85% of the cancer deaths are caused because of excessive smoking. Smoking is not good for the health of the smoker as well as for any passive smokers, who are unfortunate enough to be living around the smoker. Believe it or not, if all people around the world were to stop smoking, the number lung cancer deaths would become insignificantly small compared to other causes of death.

Lung cancer statistics show that of all the ethnic groups in the world, the incidence of lung cancer in African Americans is the highest. The reason behind this is that the African Americans have also been shown to smoke more than other ethnic groups.

You may not be aware but lung cancer is considered to be one of the most life-threatening kinds of cancer. According to some lung cancer statistics, the survival rate (five-year survival rate) of those who suffer from breast cancer is 87% and from colon cancer is 62%. Likewise, prostrate cancer has the five year survival rate of 92%. You will be shocked to learn that the five year survival rate of lung cancer patients is as low as 15%.

Lung cancer statistics say that perhaps the main reason why the survival rate for lung cancer patients is so low is because of the fact that this disease is identified only during the final or advanced stages of severity, generally stage three or four. During these last stages, the cancer has usually already spread to different parts of the body and it usually has an adverse effect on the functioning of many important organs. As a result, many people die from this condition sooner, rather than later.

A common misconception, is that if a smoker stops smoking for a about 15 years they will have a reduced chance of developing lung cancer and that the lungs of the smoker will become normal like a non-smoker’s lungs. Whatever the perception, lung cancer statistics show that this is not possible. The lungs of smokers will never be restored to the same condition as the lungs of non-smokers. Their chances of getting lung cancer would not increase further, but would never decrease to levels of probability applicable to non-smokers.

According to some lung cancer statistics, people who used to smoke before are nine times more prone to die from lung cancer as compared to those individuals who have never smoked in their lives. What’s more, it is believed that people who still smoke while suffering from lung cancer are twenty-three times more prone to die from the disease than a smoker who has quit.

Needless to say, lung cancer statistics show alarming links between lung cancer deaths, and smoking. If you do not wish to die from lung cancer, then the message is simple – STOP SMOKING! After all, prevention is better than cure!