Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in
the world. In the UK,
it is the second most-frequently occurring
cancer, accounting for 1 in 7 new
cases. Nine in ten of these can be squarely blamed on the pernicious effects of
tobacco smoking - and unfortunately the majority of cases cannot be cured. The
risk of lung
cancer increases with age. It is less common in people under 40.
Recently, there has been a decrease in the incidence in men, but lung cancer is
now rising in women in many countries - this is directly related to changing
smoking habits. Professor Gordon McVie, from Cancer
Research UK, is an
expert in lung cancer and says that despite the current poor survival rates,
optimism is higher than ever among researchers. He said: "I''ve have been
working to research lung cancer treatment for the last 30 years, and there has
never been a more optimistic time. "We haven''t made a big impact on cure
rates yet, but I do believe that that is simply a question of time." He
said that women in Scotland
and the north of England
were now more likely to die of cancer than breast cancer