Lung Cancer Statistics

When being diagnosed with lung cancer, patients are already devastated by the words. Then the idea of testing, surgery and treatments become overwhelming. If that isn't the worst, here comes the statistics. Gundersen and Lutheran show that the national average 5 - year survival rate of lung cancer patients for stage 2 is %20, stage 3 is 8%, and stage 4 is 3%. What that means is, that even if you are diagnosed early on, you only have a 20 percent chance of living 5 more years, and an even lesser chance if detected later on. Although it is possible that all treatments combined, surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy will put a patient into remission, there is a small chance you will survive.

Between the years 1999 to 2004, the Center for Disease Control reports that there were 2.4 million tobacco-related lung cancer diagnosis', and causes an estimated 438,000 premature deaths annually. Premature deaths mean that their death was either by their own hand or someone else's. It was either a choice to use tobacco, or a choice that a smoker made for the Lung Cancer patient. Of course not all Lung Cancer's are due to smoking, but more than 85% is tobacco related. Lung Cancer detections is also higher with age. If this is the case, why do Americans continue to smoke or use tobacco? If most Lung Cancers can be prevented, what can be done to make sure Americans stop killing themselves? There are many Ads on the TV and printed ads that try to make its readers aware of the risks involved with tobacco. Ohio was one of the last states to ban smoking in public places. One step in protecting America from a disease that is caused by a choice.

Less than 3% of Lung Cancer patients are under the age of 45 years old, and the average age at diagnosis is 71 years old. By then your health is already deteriorating due to other medical problems, so surgery is more than likely ruled out in fear that patients might not make it through. Although lung cancer has a very low survival rate, the Center of Disease Control says some people are cured and more than 400,000 people that are alive today have been diagnosed with lung cancer at some point in time. With these statistics, people who use tobacco and are under 45 years old may think they have a few years to worry about being diagnosed.

It is reported by the Center for Disease Control that men are more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer. They also report that"lung cancer accounted for more deaths than breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer combined" in 2005. Breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer are all cancers that attack its victims without regard to an outside source that is controlled by a person.

The National Cancer Institute estimates that there will be219,440 new cases of lung cancer and 159,390 deaths in 2009. That's almost half a million people being affected by this disease this year alone. It sounds like an epidemic, yet not a contagious disease.

Sources:

Sherri Stewart, PHD, http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/lung/statistics/, Department of Health and Human Services, Center For Disease Control

http://www.gundluth.org/?id=886&sid=1, Gundersen and Lutheran

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/lung/, The National Cancer Institute