Decrease in Rate of New Lung Cancer Cases Among Americans

There has been a decline in lung cancer incidence rates per year among U.S. citizens from 2005 to 2009, claims CDC.

In a latest announcement the Federal Centres for Disease Control and Prevention claims that per year there has been a 2.6 percent decrease in lung cancer incidence rate among men- 87 to 78 cases per 100,000 men and a 1.1 percent drop among women-from 57 to 54 cases per 100,000 women.

A highest decline of 6.5 percent among men and 5.8 percent among women per year was seen in adults of age 35-44 years. In all age group the rate of lung cancer incidences dropped more in men than in women. These statistics clearly indicate that the anti-tobacco efforts are having a major impact on the health of Americans and are saving thousands of lives.

Lung cancer is said to be the leading cause of cancer death among Americans and is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among men and women. Cigarette smoking and secondhand smoking are the major factors for the high rate of lung cancer.

"While it is encouraging that lung cancer incidence rates are dropping in the United States, one preventable cancer is one too many," CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. said in a statement. "Implementation of tobacco control strategies is needed to reduce smoking prevalence and the lung cancer it causes among men and women."

To access the lung cancer incidence rates and trend among Americans, CDC worked on data gathered from the National Program of Cancer Registries and the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results.  A major decline in lung cancer rates in both men and women was seen in 23 states. Seven states showed a decline in lung cancer rates only in women.

"Since 1964 when the first Surgeon General's report on the health consequences of smoking was published, cigarette smoking cessation rates increased and cigarette smoking initiation rates decreased more rapidly among men than women," according to the CDC report.

A recent report highlighted that following the Surgeon General's report first published in 1964, kick started major health awareness publicity campaigns, resulting in   nearly 8 million people avoiding premature death from smoking related causes.