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Smoking declines; screening and treatment improve
Smoking and Other Risk Factors
Smoking contributes to 85% of all new lung cancer cases and deaths. In the 1960s, over half of all men and a third of all women smoked. Now, in the 21st century, the smoking rate is a fraction of what it used to be—11.5% for men and 8.4% for women in 2024.
In other words, just about 10% of adults today are current smokers. Researchers estimate the reductions in smoking prevented 3.9 million deaths from lung cancer and saved a collective 76 million years of life from 1970 to 2022.
Risk factors for lung cancer also include exposure to secondhand smoke and other carcinogens like radon, asbestos, and air pollution. Secondhand smoke exposure among nonsmokers over 3 years fell by 42%, from 41.8% in 2001 to 24.3% in March 2020. Radon testing and abatement in homes, workplace safety, consumer product protections, and air quality monitoring continue protecting against exposure to the other risk factors.
Lung Cancer Screening
More eligible adults reported being up-to-date with lung cancer screening, up from 3.6% of eligible patients in 2010 to 18.7% of eligible patients in 2024. Adults ages 50 to 80 are now eligible for lung cancer screening if they have a smoking history of at least 20 pack-years (the equivalent of smoking an average of one pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years), down from the previous threshold of 30 years. Smokers with this history who quit in the last 15 years are also eligible for screening. Improving screening rates could mean more people get treated effectively for lung cancer and live longer.
With improved screening strategies and technologies, more lung cancer cases are being diagnosed in early—also called “localized”—stages, when the cancer is more treatable. The rate of early-stage diagnoses increased 69%, from 16% in 2003 to 27% in 2022 among men and 19% in 2003 to 33% in 2022 among women. Between 2018 and 2022, the rate of more advanced disease, where the cancer has spread from the lungs, decreased by 4.7 — 5.7% each year for regional stage and 2.0 — 3.5% each year for the distant stage.
Lung Cancer Treatment
As of August 2025, 17 states now require health insurance coverage of biomarker testing, which can help doctors figure out the best course of treatment. Five additional states require insurance companies to cover some testing.
Progress in lung cancer treatment is reflected in increased survival and decreased mortality. The 5-year relative survival rate for lung cancer, which measures how many people have not died from their cancer 5 years after diagnosis, increased 99% from 15.1% in 2001 to 30.1% in 2018. The mortality rate fell by 52% among men and 37% among women between 2004 and 2023. A total of 661,853 Americans in 2023 were living with lung cancer.
For more detailed information, read the full report here.
