Many years ago, before the invention of cigarettes, lung cancer was a rare disease. Today, though, over 140,000 American smokers die of lung cancer each year. That's about one-fourth of the total smoking-related deaths.
just the facts
About 85% of people who get lung cancer die of it within five years; more than half die within one year.
about 13% of all cases of cancer are lung cancer, and this type of cancer accounts for about 28% of all cancer deaths.
Smoking causes about 87% of all cases of lung cancer. Smokers are five to 10 times as likely as nonsmokers to get this type of cancer and at least 12 times as likely to die of it.
Each year, more than 115,000 American smokers die of lung cancer. That's about one-fourth of the total smoking-related deaths. (1)
Sources 1. Jemal A, Thomas A, Murray T, Thun M. Cancer statistics, 2002. CA: a Cancer Journal for Clinicians 2002;52:23-47.
explanation
If you smoke, you are increasing your chances of developing many types of cancer. Lung cancer is by far the most common of all the smoking-related cancers. It is also one of the most deadly types of cancer. About 85% of people who get lung cancer die of it within five years; more than half die within one year.
Many years ago, before the invention of cigarettes, lung cancer was a rare disease. Today, though, it is a common type of cancer; about 13% of all cases of cancer are lung cancer, and this type of cancer accounts for about 28% of all cancer deaths. Smoking causes about 87% of all cases of lung cancer. Smokers are five to 10 times as likely as nonsmokers to get this type of cancer and at least 12 times as likely to die of it. Each year, more than 115,000 American smokers die of lung cancer. That's about one-fourth of the total smoking-related deaths. (1) The more you smoke and the longer you smoke, the more likely you are to get lung cancer. The risk of lung cancer is especially high for people who start to smoke when they are very young. Thus, any of your friends who have already started smoking are at particularly high risk of developing lung cancer when they get older.
