Lung cancer rates among women to overtake men in UK for the first time

Women are warned to stay viligilant against signs of lung cancer

Representational image: Of the 47,000 lung cancer cases reported in the UK every year, some 72 per cent are believed to be the result of smoking (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Women diagnosed with lung cancer in the UK are going to overtake the number of men found to have the disease this year for the first time, according to Cancer Research UK.

Lung cancer cases in women are expected to be 27,332 in the UK, eclipsing the number of cases for men which are projected at 27,172, the charity said.

The projections have prompted lung specialists to issue warnings for women to be vigilant about the early signs of the disease.

Lung cancer has already remained the most common cause of death in the country, accounting for one in five cancer deaths. There are about 34,800 deaths a day from lung cancer.

The projections showed women will continue to have more lung cancer cases, while the gap between men and women infected with the disease will widen.

There will likely be 34,835 women diagnosed with cancer, compared to 31,353 men by 2038-40, according to the charity data cited by The Guardian.

The stark change in people getting diagnosed with cancer comes amid a shift in the historical paradigm of more men getting lung cancer in the UK than women since records began.

From 2016-18, there were 25,404 men with lung cancer and 23,396 women with the disease.

According to the charity, over 55 per cent of individuals diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer can expect to survive for five years or longer. Conversely, the survival rate drops significantly for stage 4 lung cancer, with fewer than 5 per cent of patients expected to survive five years or more after diagnosis.

“Cancer Research UK’s projections show that the number of new lung cancer cases in females could overtake the number in males this year, and that gap is set to widen by 2040,” said Alizée Froguel, the charity’s prevention policy manager.

“From 2022-24, 49.9 per cent of new lung cancer cases are projected to be in males, with 50.1 per cent in females. By 2038-40, in comparison, 47.4 per cent of cases will be in males, with 52.6 per cent in females.”

She said the shift in gender balance is mainly due to historical differences in smoking prevalence between males and females.

“Rates of smoking peaked much earlier in males than females, so lung cancer incidence in males has started falling earlier than in females.”

Though the figures paint a “stark” picture, Paula Chadwick, chief executive of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said the projections will serve as an important reminder to women and potentially minimise the devastation.

“Women are regularly reminded of the importance of checking for lumps in their breasts and attending mammogram appointments. We now need them to be just as vigilant about potential lung cancer symptoms and going for lung screening, if invited.”

Plans have been unveiled to provide lung screening to all individuals who have ever smoked in England, with the aim of identifying and addressing cancer at an earlier stage. Approximately one million screenings will be conducted annually for individuals between the ages of 55 and 74.

The scheme, which is set to cost £270m annually once fully established, will use patients’ GP records for those aged 55-74 to identify current or former smokers and could provide almost one million scans and earlier treatment.