Lung cancer is on the rise among women, despite a sharp drop for men over the past two decades.
One woman was diagnosed for every three men back in 1990. But this has now doubled for women for every three male cases, the latest figures from the UK National Cancer Intelligence Network show.
With lung cancer accounting for over a fifth of all deaths caused by cancer, Asons Solicitors, one of the largest law firms in Greater Manchester, UK, believe it is crucial that such discrepancies are addressed.
The bias is believed to follow trends in smoking patterns, accounting for the gender differences. Statistics show the number of men smoking has declined over the past two decades, whereas the number of female smokers is rising.
Speaking on the research, Nick Ormiston-Smith, Cancer Research UK’s head of statistics, said: “It’s great news that lung cancer in men has fallen by more than a third since the early 1990s. Trends in lung cancer incidence rates reflect past trends in cigarette smoking – many men quit smoking from the 1950s onwards, so we are now seeing the positive impact of that.
“Unfortunately this smoking fall didn’t occur for women until later – after they had become the core targets of the tobacco industry’s marketing strategy, so their lung cancer rates are still increasing.”
The data highlights how survival rates for lung cancer have improved “significantly” since 1990, with twice as many patients surviving past 12 months by 2011. According to the BBC, it is believed that the rise in survival rates can be attributed to improvements in treatments, and earlier diagnoses.
Considering the research, Asons Executive Suzanne Yates, said: “This statistic should serve as a warning to those who smoke, and I very much hope they are taken on board.
“While lung cancer survival rates have clearly improved, the disease still accounts for 20 per cent of all cancer deaths – and that is a statistic that should be taken seriously. Smoking is the biggest avoidable risk factor for lung cancer. For those who smoke, giving up is considered to be the greatest safeguard against the disease.”