Lung Cancer Facts and Statistics

Lung Cancer Types:
• Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common type, accounting for nearly 80 percent of cases. It grows and spreads slowly.
• Small cell lung cancer is responsible for nearly 20 percent of cases. True to its name, its cells are smaller in size than most other cancer cells, and they can rapidly reproduce to form large tumors and spread to the lymph nodes and other organs. This type is almost always caused by smoking or secondhand smoke.
• Carcinoids, another type of tumor, can also occur in the lungs. These make up a small percentage of cases.

The Dangers of Secondhand Smoke:
• Secondhand smoke is the combination of sidestream smoke (the smoke released from the burning end of a tobacco product) and mainstream smoke (the smoke exhaled by the smoker).
• Exposure to secondhand smoke is also called “involuntary smoking.”
• Of the more than 4,000 chemicals that have been identified in secondhand tobacco smoke, at least 250 are known to be harmful, and 50 of those are known to cause cancer.
• Approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths occur each year among adult nonsmokers in the United States as a result of exposure to secondhand smoke. Living with a smoker can increase a nonsmoker’s chances of developing lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent.

Source: National Cancer Institute

Resources for Quitting Smoking:
• National Cancer Institute Smoking Quitline—1-877-44-UQUIT, www.smokefree.gov
• American Lung Association—www.lungusa.org
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—www.cdc.gov/tobacco
• American Cancer Society—www.cancer.org
• Alabama Department of Public Health—www.adph.org/tobacco
• UAB Health System—www.uabhealth.org