Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States.

Lung cancer causes 30% of all cancer deaths.

Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer among Caucasians, African-Americans, Asians and Hispanic males.

Lung cancer will kill more people this year than:

• breast cancer
• prostate cancer
• colon cancer
• liver cancer
• kidney cancer
• melanoma...combined

Lung cancer will kill three times as many men as prostate cancer this year.

Lung cancer will kill nearly twice as many women as breast cancer this year.

Over 50% of new lung cancer cases will be diagnosed at a very late stage—Stage IIIb or IV— and only 5% of them will live for 5 years.

Myth: After you stop smoking, your lungs go back to normal in 10 years.

Truth: The lungs never go back to normal. Most former smokers remain at elevated risk.

Current smokers: 35-40% of new lung cancer cases
Former smokers: 50% of new lung cancer cases
Never smoked: 10-15% of new lung cancer cases

Cancer Research Funding

National Cancer Institute (NCI): In 1971, President Nixon and Congress declared a War on Cancer.
At that time, lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer death—it still is today. Funding for NCI grew
from $400 million per year in 1971 to $4.78 billion in 2005. Most major cancers have benefited with
increasingly high five-year survival rates.

The underfunding of lung cancer research has kept its survival rate
almost as low as it was in 1971.

Department of Defense (DOD): In 1992, Congress started funding cancer research programs at DOD.
From 1992 to 2004, DOD funding for breast cancer research totaled $1.66 billion. An additional $150
million has been appropriated for 2005. Prostate cancer research totaled $565 million from 1997-2004.
Another $85 million has been appropriated for 2005.

Lung cancer research received only $33 million from 1999 to 2004,
with just $2.1 million appropriated for 2005.

Centers for Disease Control (CDC): Congress also earmarks funding within CDC for
specific cancers. The 2005 budget includes $204 million for breast and cervical cancer research,
$14 million for prostate cancer research, and $14.6 million for colon cancer research.

The 2005 budget includes $0 for lung cancer research.

Sources:
NCI estimated spending for FY05: http://cis.nci.nih.gov/fact/1_1.htm
DOD appropriations for FY05: http://mrmc-rad6.army.mil/bcrp/default.htm
http://mrmc-rad6.army.mil/pcrp/default.htm
CDC appropriations for FY05: http://www.cdc.gov/fmo/fmofybudget.htm
Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program: http://seer.cancer.gov/
(Table A-1: Estimated new cancer cases and deaths for 2005)

Download our Lung Cancer Fact Sheet (.pdf)