Incidences of lung cancer in the United States have been dropping steadily in what doctors are calling a positive turn of events for a disease that has been considered as one of the leading causes of death for men and women across the country. This is the conclusion derived by the National Cancer Institute based on studies conducted on previously unrecognized trends that were related to the age, race, sex, ethnicity, and cancer subtype of each patient.
According to the American Lung Association, lung cancer has been the prevalent cause of death of more patients than three of the next most common types of cancers combined - pancreatic, colorectal and breast cancers. Just this year, there is more than an estimated 159,000 patients who will succumb to lung cancer. There have already been indications that the incidences of lung cancer-related deaths have been steadily declining, but the trends surrounding it were vague, until now.
Dr. Denise Lewis, who was one of the lead researchers for the study, explains that by expanding the scope of previous lung cancer studies, they were able to create a clearer picture of the actual state of lung cancer in the country that will make it easier for other researchers to monitor the lung health of the population. Using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program that is a reliable source of information on the incidences of cancer occurrence and survival, they found that the rate of lung cancer has declined at a higher rate in men than in women until 2005, but then increased in 2010 in every ethnic, racial, and gender group. The ratio of the incidence of lung cancer between black and white men and women also declined more than it did with other ethnic and racial groups. The team concluded that these findings point to the fact that the rates of lung cancer differs by category of the type of cancer, as well as the age, race, gender, and ethnicity of the patients.