Lung Cancer Is the Deadliest Cancer in America

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By Hristina Byrnes Published
Lung Cancer Is the Deadliest Cancer in America

© Egor Kulinich / Getty Images

This article was written with the assistance of A.I. technology, and has been edited and fact-checked by Colman Andrews.

Cancer is a disease that has been with us for a long time, and it is still a deadly threat. Each year, cancer kills more than 600,000 people in the United States, and remains the second leading cause of death in the nation after heart disease.

Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in America. Between 1999 and 2019, it claimed the lives of more than 3.2 million people. From 2010 to 2018, only 23% of lung cancer patients were still alive five years after diagnosis.

There are many risk factors for lung cancer, including smoking, breathing of secondhand smoke, and exposure to certain chemicals and pollutants. People who have lung cancer often have no symptoms in the early stages of the disease. This can make it difficult to catch the disease early, when it is most treatable.

There has been significant progress in the treatment of lung cancer in recent years. However, it remains a deadly disease. It is important for people to be aware of the risks , and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all adults get regular screenings for lung cancer.

Click here to see which cancers are the deadliest in America.

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About the Author Hristina Byrnes →

Hristina Byrnes is the editor of 247Tempo.com, where she handles the site's assignments and editing. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University, which she earned in 2012, and she specializes in translating complex health data research into engaging, accessible stories for a general audience.

When she's not poring over the latest data sets or brainstorming story ideas, you can find Hristina watching tennis, playing tennis with her son, or trying to get her daughter into tennis.

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