Over 49,000 people were diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK in 2019
- estimated 79% of lung cancer cases in the UK are preventable (1,2)
- 72% of lung cancer cases in the UK are caused by smoking
- 5% of lung cancer cases in the UK are caused by ionising radiation
- 13% of lung cancer cases in the UK are caused by workplace exposures.
- 8% of lung cancer cases in the UK are caused by air pollution
- lung cancer can be linked to more than one cause
- are around 49,200 new lung cancer cases in the UK every year, that's more than 130 every day (2017-2019) (2)
- lung cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in the UK, accounting for 13% of all new cancer cases (2017-2019)
- in females in the UK, lung cancer is the 2nd most common cancer, with around 23,800 new cases every year (2017-2019)
- in males in the UK, lung cancer is the 2nd most common cancer, with around 25,400 new cases every year (2017-2019)
- incidence rates for lung cancer in the UK are highest in people aged 80 to 84 (2017-2019)
- rates in females have increased by around a third (32%), and rates in males have decreased by more than a third (35%) (2017-2019)
- over the last decade, lung cancer incidence rates have decreased by less than a twentieth (1%) in the UK
- rates in females have increased by around a tenth (11%), and rates in males have decreased by around a seventh (13%) (2017-2019)
- in 2019 in the UK, over 35,000 people died from lung cancer
- lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the UK, accounting for 21% of all cancer deaths (2017-2019)
- in females in the UK, lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death, with around 16,100 deaths every year (2017-2019)
- in males in the UK, lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death, with around 18,600 deaths every year (2017-2019)
- mortality rates for lung cancer in the UK are highest in people aged 85 to 89 (2017-2019)
- linked to lifestyle factors such as smoking and is driven by an increased incidence of lung cancer in older women
- in the UK, lung cancer is more common in people of European family origin than in people of African or Asian family origin. It is strongly linked to socioeconomic deprivation. There are many risk factors for lung cancer, including age, genetics, lifestyle (especially smoking) and occupation
Lung cancer is diagnosed and staged using a variety of tests, including chest X-rays, CT or positron emission tomography CT (PET-CT)
- lung cancer samples are commonly acquired for diagnosis using bronchoscopy, endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) or a percutaneous procedure (guided by CT or ultrasound).
Lung cancer has 2 main types:
- non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which is more common and spreads more slowly
- small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), which is rarer and spreads more quickly
Treatment depends on the type, size, position and stage of the cancer, and the person's health. Possible treatments include radiotherapy, systemic anti-cancer therapies, surgery, supportive care cryotherapy, photodynamic therapy and ablation
Survival (2):
- survival statistics are available for each stage of lung cancer in England
- figures are for people diagnosed between 2016-20
- statistics are non-age-standardised which means they don't take into account the age of the people with lung cancer
- stage 1
- 62.2% with stage 1 lung cancer will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they’re diagnosed
- stage 2
- 40.9% with stage 2 lung cancer will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they’re diagnosed
- stage 3
- 16% with stage 3 lung cancer will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they’re diagnosed
- stage 4
- 4.3% with stage 4 lung cancer will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they’re diagnose
Predicted 10-year net survival for lung cancer for both men and women is stated at 7.6% and 11.3% respectively (3).
Smoking cessation after diagnosis materially improved overall and progression-free survival among current smokers with early-stage lung cancer (4)
- prospective Russian cohort study found higher overall survival time among patients who quit smoking vs continued smoking (6.6vs4.8yrs, respectively; P=0.001), 5-year overall survival (60.6%vs48.6%; P=0.001) and progression-free survival (54.4%vs43.8%; P=0.004)
Reference:
- NICE (March 2024). Lung cancer: diagnosis and management
- Cancer Research UK. Lung Cancer: lung cancer survival (Accessed 11/8/25)
- Office for National Statistics Cancer Survival in England: adult, stage at diagnosis and childhood patients followed up to 2018, 2019. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/cancersurvivalinengland/latest
- Mahdi Sheikh, Anush Mukeriya, Oxana Shangina, et al. Postdiagnosis Smoking Cessation and Reduced Risk for Lung Cancer Progression and Mortality: A Prospective Cohort Study. Ann Intern Med. [Epub ahead of print 27 July 2021]. doi:10.7326/M21-0252