What Every Woman Should Know About Lung Cancer

Deadlier than breast, ovarian, and cervical cancers combined, lung cancer is claiming more women’s lives every year—including young, never-smokers.

Charles H. Weaver, MD
3–5 minutes
Home » Survivorship » What Every Woman Should Know About Lung Cancer

Lung cancer remains the second most common cancer among women—following breast cancer—yet it takes more lives than breast, ovarian, and cervical cancers combined. In 2025, an estimated 115,970 women will be diagnosed with lung cancer, and about 60,540 women will die from it in the U.S.. Shockingly, lung cancer kills one and a half times as many women as breast cancer each year.​

Why Is It So Deadly?

A main reason for lung cancer’s severity is late diagnosis. Symptoms are often invisible until the disease has spread, resulting in a 5-year survival rate for women of under 30%, though this rate is improving with advances in treatment. Younger women are increasingly affected; in 2025, women under 50 are now being diagnosed more frequently than men in the same age group.​

Risk Factors: Not Just Smoking

While smoking is still the leading cause—responsible for roughly 80% of cases—women face unique risks:

  • About 20% of lung cancers in women occur in non-smokers.​

  • Radon exposure ranks as the second leading cause; testing your home for radon can help reduce risk.​

  • Air pollution, genetic mutations, workplace exposures (e.g., asbestos, diesel exhaust), prior chest radiation, and family history all contribute.​

  • Asian women who have never smoked are twice as likely to get lung cancer compared with non-smokers of other ethnicities.​

  • Women appear more sensitive than men to the cancer-causing effects of tobacco, and secondhand smoke is a notable risk.​

Screening and Early Detection

Lung cancer is most treatable in its early stages. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual screening with a low-dose CT scan for adults aged 50-80 who have at least a 20 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years. However, recent studies show most women and never-smokers diagnosed with lung cancer were ineligible for screening under current guidelines. Experts are pushing for expanded eligibility to reach more at-risk women.​

Steps to Reduce Your Risk

  • Don’t smoke, and if you do, seek help to quit (call 1-800-QUIT-NOW).

  • Test your home for radon, especially if you live in a high-risk area.

  • Avoid secondhand smoke and limit exposure to occupational carcinogens.

  • Consider screening if you have a significant smoking history or a family history of lung cancer—early detection saves lives.

Know the Warning Signs

If you experience chronic cough, coughing up blood, chest pain, sudden weight loss, or unexplained shortness of breath, see a healthcare provider promptly.

Funding and Research Needs

Despite its deadly impact, lung cancer lags far behind other major cancers in research funding. Increasing support for awareness, screening, and new treatments is crucial to changing outcomes for women with lung cancer.​

Lung cancer can happen to anyone. Stay educated, advocate for better funding, and talk to your doctor about personal risk and screening options. Early detection is key to survival.

References:

  1. National Lung Cancer Partnership. Nationwide survey of lung cancer awareness. 2010. Wakelee, H.A., et al., Lung Cancer Incidence in Never Smokers. J Clin Oncol, 2007. 25(5): p. 472-8.
  2. National Research Council. Health Effects of Exposure to Radon: BEIR VI. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1999.
  3. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2005. 54(25):625-628
  4. California Environmental Protection Agency. Proposed identification of environmental tobacco smoke as a toxic air contaminant-June 2005. California Environmental Protection Agency, California Air Resources Board, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment; 2005.
  5. International Early Lung Cancer Action Program Investigators, Women’s susceptibility to tobacco carcinogens and survival after diagnosis of lung cancer. JAMA, 2006. 296(2): p. 180-84.
  6. Henschke, C.I. and O.S. Miettinen, Women’s susceptibility to tobacco carcinogens. Lung Cancer, 2004. 43(1): p. 1-5.
  7. Nordlund, L.A., J.M. Carstensen, and G. Pershagen, Are male and female smokers at equal risk of smoking-related cancer: evidence from a Swedish prospective study. Scand J Public Health, 1999. 27(1): p. 56-62.
  8. Tang, D.L., et al., Associations between both genetic and environmental biomarkers and lung cancer: evidence of a greater risk of lung cancer in women smokers. Carcinogenesis, 1998. 19(11): p. 1949-53.
  9. Zang, E.A. and E.L. Wynder, Differences in lung cancer risk between men and women: examination of the evidence. J Natl Cancer Inst, 1996. 88(3-4): p. 183-92.
  10. Risch, H.A., et al., Are female smokers at higher risk for lung cancer than male smokers? A case-control analysis by histologic type. Am J Epidemiol, 1993. 138(5):p. 281-93.
  11. Harris, R.E., et al., Race and sex differences in lung cancer risk associated with cigarette smoking. Int J Epidemiol, 1993. 22(4): p. 592-9.
  12. Fu, J.B., et al., Lung cancer in women: analysis of the national Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Chest, 2005. 127(3): p. 768-77.
  13. National Cancer Institute:
  14. Department of Defense Lung, Breast, and Prostate Research Program. Descriptions available at

Copyright © 2018 CancerConnect. All Rights Reserved.

, , , , , ,

You May Be Interested In