Lung cancer: key points

• In Scotland, lung cancer - which is defined to include the trachea, bronchus and lung - was the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in both men and women in 2019. It was also the most common cause of death from cancer in men and women in 2020.

• Survival from lung cancer is poor with only 11.1% of men and 16.3% of women still alive at five years after diagnosis.

• In 2020, 2,385 men and 2,548 women were diagnosed with lung cancer in Scotland.

• Excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, lung cancer accounts for 15.9% of all cancers diagnosed in men, and 16.6% of all cancers diagnosed in women.
• Based on current rates of disease, an estimated 1 in 12 men, and 1 in 13 women develop lung cancer during their lifetime.

• In the last ten years, the age-standardised incidence rate of lung cancer decreased by 32.2% in men, and by 10.2% in women.

• Historically, Scotland has had one of the highest rates of lung cancer in the world. However, mortality rates among men are now higher in some Eastern European countries, and rates in Danish women are approaching those in Scottish women.

• Tobacco smoking is the main risk factor for lung cancer, accounting for an estimated 80-90% of cases in developed countries. Other risk factors include asbestos, ionising radiation (including domestic exposure to radon), and various chemicals usually encountered in occupational settings.

• Per cigarette smoked, the risk of lung cancer seems to be higher in the west of Scotland than in some other populations, perhaps reflecting the additional effect of past occupational exposures, or other factors such as nutrition.

• The cumulative risk of lung cancer can be reduced by around 90% in smokers who manage to quit before middle age. Thus smoking cessation policies and services play a major part in the primary prevention of lung cancer.

• The risk of developing lung cancer is higher, and the probability of surviving lung cancer is lower, among people living in areas of socioeconomic deprivation.

• Previous audits and international comparisons have suggested possible scope for improving outcomes from lung cancer in Scotland, and there is some recent evidence that a higher proportion of patients with lung cancer are now receiving potentially curative therapy in the context of disease management by multi-disciplinary teams.

Key Statistics:

Notes:
1) Number of lung cancer survivors at 31 Dec 2020 who had been diagnosed in the previous 20 years per 100,000 population.
2) Five year relative survival for patients diagnosed during the period 2013-2017 (age-standardised).