Lung cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in both men and women in the United States and the leading cause of cancer deaths.¹ In 2009, approximately 220,000 Americans will be diagnosed and close to 160,000 Americans will die from the disease.¹ More people die from lung cancer than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined.¹

Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cancerous cells in the lungs and is divided into two major types: non-small cell and small cell, which originate in different cells in the lungs and are treated differently.¹ Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for 85 percent of all lung cancers, is further classified based on what kind of cell the cancer started from and microscopic appearance.²

Risk Factors and Symptoms

• Age - lung cancer is more prevalent in people over the age of 45⁴
• Gender - lung cancer occurs in men more often than women¹
• Risk factors - cigarette smoking is the primary risk factor and, along with second-hand exposure to cigarette smoke, accounts for an estimated nine out of 10 cases⁵
• However, lung cancer is not only a smokers' disease; approximately 10 percent of lung cancer cases are in non-smokers⁵
• Other factors include history of tuberculosis, family history of lung cancer, and exposure to arsenic, radon, benzene, asbestos or radiation¹
• Symptoms - persistent cough, coughing up mucus with blood, chest pain, or multiple cases of pneumonia or bronchitis¹

Prognosis and Survival

• The five-year survival rate is only 15 percent. Many people have no symptoms until the disease has advanced into late stages when the tumor cannot be surgically removed or has spread to the other parts of the body^{1, 6}
• The prognosis for people with non-small cell lung cancer becomes poorer depending on how advanced their disease is at the time of diagnosis

  Stage	Description	5-Year Survival Rate1, 7
  I	Smaller tumor is limited to only one lung	50 percent
  II	Tumor is in one lung and may have spread to lymph nodes on the same side of the chest	21 percent
  III	Tumor has spread within or to other lymph nodes in the chest
  IV	Tumor has spread to distant organs	3 percent

Treatment

• Standard treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and targeted medicines. Some of these medicines are administered orally and others intravenously. A doctor will assess the individual and use one or more of these treatments, depending on the type of lung cancer, stage of disease and overall health and age of the patient⁸
• Targeted medicines can help prevent tumor growth and have been proven to help people with advanced lung cancer live longer; other treatments have proven benefits as well¹

References
¹ American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts and Figures 2009. Accessed May 5, 2009.
² National Cancer Institute. General Information about Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Accessed on July 28, 2009.
³ http://www.cancer.gov/Templates/db_alpha.aspx?CdrID=44171
⁴ National Cancer Institute. Cancer of the Lung. Accessed on March 25, 2009.
⁵ American Cancer Society. Cancer Reference Information: What Causes Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer? Accessed on February 24, 2009.
⁶ Lung Cancer Alliance. Symptoms. Accessed on August 14, 2009.
⁷ American Cancer Society. Cancer Reference Information: How Is Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Staged? Accessed on February 24, 2009.
⁸ American Cancer Society. Cancer Reference Information: How Is Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated? Accessed on February 24, 2009.