Lung cancer Key Facts

• Lung cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in the UK after breast cancer.
• Around 42,000 people were diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK in 2010, that’s around 115 people every day.
• Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in men after prostate cancer, with around 23,200 new cases diagnosed in the UK in 2010.
• Around 18,900 women were diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK in 2010, making it the second most common cancer in women after breast cancer.
• More than 8 in 10 lung cancer cases occur in people aged 60 and over.
• Rates of lung cancer in Scotland are among the highest in the world, reflecting their history of high smoking prevalence.
• In the 1950s, for every lung cancer case diagnosed in women in the UK, there were 6 in men. That ratio is now 4 cases in women for every 5 in men.
• Lung cancer incidence rates in men peaked in the late 1970s and since then have decreased by more than 45%. This reflects the decline in smoking rates in men after World War II.
• From the mid 1970s to late 1980s, lung cancer rates among women increased by around 45%, since then they have increased more slowly with an increase of around 19%. The difference in lung cancer trends in men and women reflect variations in past smoking behaviour.
• Lung cancer is the most common cancer in the world with an estimated 1.61 million new cases diagnosed in 2008.
• Worldwide, the highest rates of lung cancer in men are in Central and Eastern Europe and for women in Northern America. The lowest lung cancer rates in the world for men and women are in Middle African countries.
• In the European Union (EU-27) there were an estimated 289,000 new cases of lung cancer diagnosed in 2008.

Read more in-depth lung cancer incidence statistics.

section reviewed 14/01/13
section updated 14/01/13

• Lung cancer survival rates are higher the earlier the cancer is diagnosed.
• More than two-thirds of patients are diagnosed with lung cancer at a later stage when their survival chances are lower.
• Around 30% of people diagnosed with lung cancer survive the disease for at least one year after diagnosis.
• Overall, less than 10% of people diagnosed with lung cancer survive the disease for at least five years after diagnosis.

Read more in-depth lung cancer survival statistics.

section updated 13/04/12

• Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the UK, accounting for more than 1 in 5 cancer deaths.
• Almost 35,000 people died from lung cancer in the UK in 2010, that’s around 96 people every day.
• More than three-quarters of people who die from lung cancer are aged 65 or over.
• Lung cancer mortality rates for men in the UK have more than halved since the 1970s. For females the mortality rate increased by 60% between the early 1970s and the late 1980s. Since then rates have increased more slowly with an increase of just over 2%. These variations reflect past smoking behaviour.
• It is estimated that in the European Union (EU-27) more than a quarter of a million people died from lung cancer in 2008.
• Worldwide around 1.38 million people died from lung cancer in 2008.

Read more in-depth lung cancer mortality statistics.

section updated 13/04/12

• The link between tobacco and cancer was established more than 50 years ago.
• Smoking causes more than 8 in 10 lung cancers in the UK.
• In Britain, around 1 in 5 adults smoke cigarettes, that’s about 10 million people.
• Less than 1% of 11 and 12 year olds in England are smokers, but this rises to 12% by age 15 despite the fact that it is illegal to sell any tobacco product to under 18s.
• Stopping smoking before middle age avoids most of the risk of smoking-related lung cancer.
• Living with someone who smokes, increases risk of lung cancer in non-smokers by about a quarter.
• It is estimated that exposure to passive smoke in the home causes around 11,000 deaths every year in the UK from lung cancer, stroke and ischaemic heart disease.
• Occupational exposures are linked to around 1 in 8 lung cancers in the UK, a large proportion of these due to asbestos.  
• Diesel exhaust causes lung cancer, though this is likely to account for a fairly small proportion of cases and the evidence is mainly from studies of highly-exposed workers.
• Radon is a naturally occurring gas that increases risk of lung cancer, especially among smokers.
• Around 9% of lung cancers in the UK have been linked to poor diet.

Read more in-depth lung cancer risk factors.

section updated 13/06/12

*age-standardised to the European population 

More detailed lung cancer statistics can be found using these links: incidence, survival, mortality, risk factors and smoking.

section reviewed 14/01/13
section updated 14/01/13