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Lung Cancer in Women

Fast Fact:

Lung cancer is responsible for 70,000 women's deaths each year in the United States, more than any other cancer. For comparison, breast cancer kills 40,000 women each year.

Lung cancer was once considered a predominantly male disease, but the gender gap closed over the past few decades. As lung cancer rates remain relatively constant in women and continue to decline in men, women make up an increasing portion of new diagnoses. Women today account for about 45 percent of new lung cancer cases each year – nearly 100,000.

Although most cases are diagnosed in smokers and former smokers, lung cancer can have other contributing factors. As many as 4 percent of all lung cancer cases are attributed to exposure to asbestos, a deadly mineral once used widely throughout the United States. Other possible factors of lung cancer include secondhand smoke and exposure to radon.

Lung cancer is best treated in early stages, before the cancer has spread. But studies show that women have better survival rates than men, regardless of other contributing factors like stage or treatment type. To find out more about lung cancer causes and risk factors in women, call (800) 615-2270 to speak to one of our knowledgeable and dedicated Patient Advocates.

Lung Cancer Rates in Women

The peak in female smokers came later than the peak in male smokers. Correspondingly, lung cancer rates peaked earlier for men than for women. So while lung cancer rates among men declined through the 1990s, women's rates continued to rise slowly. In the last decade, women's rates finally leveled off and began turning downward. The rate of new lung cancer diagnoses among women is now steadily decreasing by less than 1 percent each year.

Incidence Rate of Lung Cancer, 1975-2008

Asbestos and Other Risk Factors

While lung cancer is most commonly linked to smoking, about 15 percent of all lung cancer patients never smoked. This rate is even higher for women; one in five women with lung cancer never smoked. Doctors believe the high rate of lung cancer among nonsmokers is in part a result of genetic disposition. And recent studies show that estrogen may promote the cancer's growth, a finding which helps explain the disproportionate number of nonsmoking women diagnosed with the disease.

Fast Fact:

Among nonsmokers with lung cancer, two-thirds are women.

But environmental and work-related carcinogens also play a role. Individuals are at a greater risk if they've been exposed to asbestos, secondhand smoke or radon gas. Women at the highest risk are smokers with asbestos exposure. These two factors have a synergistic effect with each other, multiplying the probability of developing cancer. Compared to nonsmokers with no asbestos history, people in this group are 50 to 84 times more likely to develop lung cancer.

Treatment Results in Women

Treatment Results in Women

Course of treatment is generally based on the type and stage of the lung cancer. Patients with early-stage cancer usually undergo surgery to remove localized tumors, and those in later stages are better candidates for chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

However, national research shows that a higher proportion of women undergo surgery, while men are more likely to receive radiation therapy. Researchers speculate that this trend may reflect age differences. On average, male patients are older, making them more susceptible to surgical complications. Female patients are typically diagnosed at younger ages and are more likely to recover from surgery.

Women respond better to all forms of standard treatment, specifically surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Studies continuously show that this is true, regardless of stage of cancer, age or lung cancer type. This leads to longer median survival times for women and more overall survivors.

Fast Fact:

Lung cancer patients with the best survival rates are nonsmoking females under 50 years old who are diagnosed early and undergo surgery.

In one study, researchers reviewed the results of lung cancer surgery in 1,242 patients. Results showed that men had better immediate outcomes but women had better survival rates. Surgeons were able to completely remove tumor growth in 85 percent of men but only 80 percent of women.

Of this group with complete surgical resection, however, women had significantly longer survival times. Women survived a median of about 10 years, while men lived about five or six years.

Researchers observed similar results with other forms of treatment. In a 2010 review of patients treated with radiation therapy, doctors found that women were more likely to live two years or longer. About 40 percent of women lived this long, compared to 32 percent of men. Similar studies confirm that women also have a survival advantage when treated with chemotherapy.

Survival Rates of Women

Women with lung cancer have overall better survival rates than their male counterparts. One year after diagnosis, 39 percent of men and 45 percent of women are alive. This trend continues for longer-term survival. Nine percent of men and 12 percent of women live a decade after diagnosis.

Survival rates improve among women with certain factors. Women live longest if they are diagnosed before the cancer has spread, making treatments like surgery more effective. Among women diagnosed early, about 70 percent live five years or longer.

Find out more about your risk factors, treatment options and prognosis. Our Doctor Match Program can help pair you with a lung specialist who treats lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases in your area. Complete the form to get started.

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