Lung cancer is the UK’s biggest cancer killer
- but it can be cured if diagnosed early enough
It kills more people in this country than breast cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer and leukaemia combined
33,000 people die from lung cancer in the UK every year
The disease accounts for one in 20 of all deaths in the UK
Lung cancer accounts for one in six of all cancer cases and one in four of all cancer deaths
Currently you are four times more likely to survive lung cancer is some parts of the country than others
One in eight people with lung cancer have never smoked a cigarette
Around a quarter of people with lung cancer in England and Wales (24%) will live to one year6 and less than one in ten (6% in England and Wales) are still alive five years after diagnosis
More women die from lung cancer than breast cancer
Half of all people in the UK know someone that has died or been affected by lung cancer
Average five year survival for lung cancer in England is around 7.5 percent compared to a European average of over nine percent
and a 15 percent average in the United States
In addition to smoking. passive smoking (second-hand smoking), exposure to radon gas, asbestos and other chemicals, together with diet and family history can all increase the risk of developing the disease