More women are diagnosed with Lung cancer than Men!

July 6, 2022

Do you know which cancer kills most women?  The answer might surprise you.  It is lung cancer! 

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, but lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women, killing more women than breast cancer, uterine cancer and ovarian cancer combined (1).  Since the mid-1970s, the incidence of lung cancer in men has dropped by 36%; however, it has been going up in women by 84% in the same period (2).  Lung cancer has been assumed as mainly a men’s disease since men likely smoke more and earlier in their lives; however, when smoking is excluded as a cause of lung cancer, 66% of lung cancer patients are women (3).  More troubling statistics are that the lung cancer incidences have been rising in young women who are in their 30s and 40s and have never smoked (4).  The reason for this is not known yet, but it is known that EGFR mutation is more prevalent in women with lung cancer than men with the same disease (5).    

Although the lung cancer survival rates are higher among women than men, it takes 3 times longer for women to be diagnosed with lung cancer than men, and thus at the time of diagnosis, the disease is more likely to progress to the late stage of cancer for women.  The discrepancy may be attributed to the societal gender bias, assumption of lung cancer being a male smoker’s disease.  For example, lung cancer screening can be a life-saver, but only 6% of those who have high risk with lung cancer receive a regular screening (2).  Moreover, women of color are recommended for lung cancer screening 6 times less than white males by their primary care physicians (6).        

In addition, the majority of the participants in lung cancer drug clinical trials are white males, and only 36% of the participants are women.  The number of women of color participants is miniscule (7).  This has serious real-world consequences because women are more likely to respond to lower doses and to have more side effects than men with the same drug.  Without accurate data from clinical trials, women may face the delay of life-saving treatments in order to adjust doses and other factors before and during treatments.  The worst would be that women may give up the treatments altogether due to severe side effects.

Dr. Narjust Duma at Brigham and Women’s Hospital said that women, especially young women with family are often discouraged to participate in clinical trials because their physicians think that they are too busy to take care of their children and home.  She said that every cancer patient should be presented with three choices when they are diagnosed with cancer: no treatment, FDA-approved treatment options and clinical trial options.  Of course, participating in clinical trials does not guarantee a positive outcome, but every cancer patient should have access to possible life-saving treatments. 

Lung cancer screening saves a life!  If you smoke or did in the past, do not forget to have lung cancer screening along with mammogram, pap smear, HPV test and other important tests.

If you are diagnosed with lung cancer, please ask your oncologist about clinical trial options as well as FDA-approved treatment options!  Women tend to care more about the health of their children and other family members than their own health.  Please remember that you need to be healthy to take care of your children and your loved ones! 

Lastly, if you have a cough which lasts for more than 8 weeks, shortness of breath and/or unintentional weight loss, do not let your doctor dismiss them.  You should insist on tests such as X-rays to get a diagnosis.  Women are more likely dismissed by their doctors about their health than men are.  Therefore, it is critical for women to be their own advocate for their own health, which may save their lives.     

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1. United States Cancer Statistics, www.cdc.gov/cancer/uscs/index.htm

2. Lung cancer Fact Sheet by American Lung Association, www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/lung-cancer/resource-library/lung-cancer-fact-sheet

3. Dias M, Linhas R, Campainha S, Conde S, Barroso A. Lung cancer in never-smokers - what are the differences?. Acta Oncol. 2017;56(7):931-935. doi:10.1080/0284186X.2017.1287944

4. Fidler-Benaoudia MM, Torre LA, Bray F, Ferlay J, Jemal A. Lung cancer incidence in young women vs. young men: A systematic analysis in 40 countries. Int J Cancer. 2020;147(3):811-819. doi:10.1002/ijc.32809

5. Isla D, Majem M, Viñolas N, et al. A consensus statement on the gender perspective in lung cancer. Clin Transl Oncol. 2017;19(5):527-535. doi:10.1007/s12094-016-1578-x

6. Lake M, Shusted CS, Juon HS, et al. Black patients referred to a lung cancer screening program experience lower rates of screening and longer time to follow-up. BMC Cancer. 2020;20(1):561. Published 2020 Jun 16. doi:10.1186/s12885-020-06923-0

7. Duma N, Vera Aguilera J, Paludo J, et al. Representation of Minorities and Women in Oncology Clinical Trials: Review of the Past 14 Years. J Oncol Pract. 2018;14(1):e1-e10. doi:10.1200/JOP.2017.025288