- Every 2 1/2 minutes someone in the United States is diagnosed with lung cancer and every 3 minutes someone in the United States will die from lung cancer.
- Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States accounting for 15% of all cancer incidence and 29% of all cancer deaths.
- In 2009 Lung Cancer will claim more lives than breast, prostate, colon, liver, kidney and melanoma cancers – COMBINED.
- In 2009 it is estimated that approximately 219,000 men and women will be diagnosed with lung cancer and that approximately 162,000 men and women will die of lung cancer.
- It is estimated that 60% of new lung cancer diagnoses will be in non-smokers – a combination of 45-50% former smokers (many who quit 10, 20, even 30 years prior to the onset of lung cancer) and approximately 15% of people who have never smoked.
- In 2009 it is projected lung cancer will kill three times as many men as prostate cancer and nearly twice as many women as breast cancer.
- One in 13 men and one in 16 women will develop lung cancer in their lifetime. This includes smokers and non-smokers. (American Cancer Society)
- In 1971, the National Cancer Act declared the War on Cancer. At that time, the overall 5-year survival for lung cancer was 13.6%. In 2008, the estimated 5-year survival rate for lung cancer will be 15%.
- There is currently no approved screening for early detection of lung cancer.
- The survival rate for lung cancer is 49% for cases detected when the disease is still localized; however, only 16% of lung cancers are diagnosed at this early stage.
- In 2007, the National Cancer Institute budgeted only 5% or $242.9 million of it’s total $4.8 billion budget for lung cancer research. However out of the $242.9 million only 38% ($92.3 million) was spent on early detection, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of lung cancer. The other 62% was spent on prevention, causes of lung cancer, biology, cancer control, survivorship and outcomes research.
- The Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Defense earmarked no money for lung cancer research in 2007.
- According to the NIH, the government funding for lung cancer research continues to drop, despite increases to the National Cancer Institute. In FY 2005 lung cancer research was funded at $289 million; in FY 2006 lung cancer was funded at 266 million; in FY 2007 research for lung cancer dropped again to 249 million. In FY 2008 FUNDING FOR LUNG CANCER RESEARCH DROPPED TO AN UNBELIEVABLE 169 MILLION! This is a 42% reduction in federal research funding for lung cancer research!