Number of averted lung cancer deaths accounted for 51.4 percent of the estimated declines in overall cancer deaths
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, April 1, 2025 (HealthDay News) — More than 3.8 million U.S. lung cancer deaths were averted during 1970 to 2022, and more than 76 million person-years of life were gained, according to a study published online March 25 in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
Farhad Islami, M.D., Ph.D., from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, and colleagues estimated the number of averted lung cancer deaths and corresponding person-years of life gained during 1970 to 2022 in the United States. Data from the National Center for Health Statistics were used to calculate the expected number of deaths; the number of averted cancer deaths was calculated by subtracting the observed from the expected number of deaths.
The researchers estimated that during 1970 to 2022, 3,856,240 lung cancer deaths were averted (2,246,610 in men and 1,609,630 in women) and 76,275,550 person-years of life were gained (40,277,690 in men and 35,997,860 in women), with an average of 19.8 person-years of life gained per death averted (17.9 and 22.4 person-years in men and women, respectively). The number of averted lung cancer deaths accounted for more than half (51.4 percent) of the estimated declines in overall cancer deaths and was greater in men than women (60.1 versus 42.7 percent). The corresponding proportion was 53.6 percent in the White population (62.8 and 44.6 percent in men and women, respectively) and 40.0 percent in the Black population (44.4 and 34.7 percent in men and women, respectively).
“The substantial estimated numbers of averted lung cancer deaths and person-years of life gained highlight the remarkable effect of progress against smoking on reducing premature mortality from lung cancer,” Islami said in a statement.
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