World Lung Cancer Day 2020: Facts About The Deadly Disease

World Lung Cancer Day is commemorated Aug. 1 every year to raise awareness among people and support those impacted by the disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more people in the United States die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer.

The American Cancer Society’s estimates for lung cancer in the United States for 2020 are about 228,820 new cases of lung cancer (116,300 in men and 112,520 in women) and about 135,720 deaths from lung cancer (72,500 in men and 63,220 in women).

Here are a few facts about the deadly disease:

1. According to The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, lung cancer kills people more than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined every year.

2. Some of the common symptoms of lung cancer are excessive coughing up of blood, pain in the chest area, back or shoulder, shortness of breath, hoarse voice, bronchitis, pneumonia, skin discoloration and unintentional weight loss.

3. According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer mainly occurs in older people. Most people diagnosed with lung cancer are 65 or older.

4. Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women, making up almost 25 percent of all cancer deaths.

5. The chance that a man will develop lung cancer in his lifetime is about 1 in 15; for a woman, the risk is about 1 in 17.

6. Tests that may be used to diagnose lung cancer include chest x-rays, CT and PET scans, bronchoscopy and needle biopsies.

7. According to the American College of Chest Physicians, environmental exposure to radon, asbestos, arsenic, beryllium and uranium has also been linked to lung cancer.