It is estimated that in 2000, more women will have died from lung cancer (67,600) than any other form of cancer including breast cancer (40,800). The vast majority of the lung cancer deaths will be a result of smoking, either past or present.
Many more women are diagnosed with breast cancer than with lung cancer, but, many more will die of lung cancer than of breast cancer because breast cancer is more treatable. Most women diagnosed with lung cancer do not live more than 12 to 24 months after diagnosis.
Fifty percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer that is attributable to smoking are former smokers, that is, they quit 5, 10 or more years before the diagnosis, making it critical for smokers to quit smoking immediately. |
