Being older
Lung cancer is more common in older people, probably because they have been smoking longer. In the United States, only around 2 in 100 people who have lung cancer are under 45 when they get the disease.1
Young people who get lung cancer tend to be heavy smokers who started smoking at a young age. They also tend to have a family history of the disease.2
To read more, see Smoking.
Sources for the information on this page:
- U. S. National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute. SEER Stat Fact Sheets: Cancer: lung and bronchus. Available at http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/lungb.html (accessed 2 October 2008).
- Williams MD, Sandler AB. The epidemiology of lung cancer. Cancer Treatment & Research. 2001; 105: 31-52.
This information was last updated in Oct 14, 2008
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This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved. |
