Despite Falling Rates, Smoking-Related Lung Cancer Will Remain a Major Health Concern

Tobacco control interventions introduced in the United States over the past 50 years have led to notable decrease in smoking and smoking-related diseases, including lung cancer.

In a recent study, published by University of Michigan's School of Public Health and the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modelling Network, four models were developed to project rates of lung cancer for U.S. men and women aged 30 to 84.

Results from the projections show that the amount of people smoking and lung cancer rates will continue to decline, with the annual number of lung cancer deaths projected to decrease from 135,000 to 50,000.

Despite the continued decrease in rates of smoking-related lung cancer, it is projected that 4.4 million deaths from lung cancer will occur in the United States from 2015 to 2065, with about 20 million adults aged 30 to 84 years continuing to smoke in 2065.

Tobacco control efforts have been effective over the past four decades and will continue to reduce lung cancer rates well into the future. Additional prevention efforts will be required, however, in order to sustain and expand these advances and to further reduce the issue of smoking- related lung cancer.