Lung cancer is more common among women than men ages 35 to 54

But among those 55 and older who have lung cancer, men still outnumber women, researchers say
By Linda Searing
October 31, 2023 at 5:30 a.m. EDT

Lung cancer has become more common in women than in men ages 35 to 54, according to American Cancer Society research published this month in the journal JAMA Oncology based on data compiled by the National Cancer Institute.

Although the overall lung cancer incidence rate has declined in recent years, the researchers found that the decline has been greater among men than women (down 44 percent vs. 20 percent for 50- to 54-year-olds, for instance). That has pushed the incidence rate higher among women than men and flipped the historical pattern of more lung cancer cases among middle-aged and younger men than women.

Among those 55 and older who have lung cancer, however, men still outnumber women, the researchers found. Why the historical change among younger people has occurred remains unclear, they wrote.

Some health experts note that smoking — the leading risk factor for lung cancer, and linked to about 80 percent of lung cancer deaths — is not more common among young women than men.

Also, up to 20 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some health experts also believe that exposure to risk factors that may have helped tip the scale include more women being exposed to secondhand smoke as well as more being exposed at home or work to substances such as asbestos or radon.

Having a family history of lung cancer also can increase a person’s risk. Although lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States (after skin cancer and breast or prostate cancer), it leads to more deaths than any other cancer, according to the CDC.

The agency reports that, each year, about 197,000 U.S. residents are diagnosed with lung cancer and about 136,000 people die of it.