Incidence of lung cancer higher in women versus men aged 35 to 54 years, says research

The incidence of lung cancer is higher in women than men aged 35 to 54 years, according to a research letter published online Oct. 12 in JAMA Oncology.

Ahmedin Jemal, D.V.M., Ph.D., from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, and colleagues monitored shifts in lung cancer incidence by age and sex in a cross-sectional study on lung and bronchus cancer diagnosed from 2000 to 2019. Cases were stratified by sex, age in five-year increments, and year of diagnosis.

The researchers observed greater declines in incidence rates between 2000–2004 and 2015–2019 in men than women, resulting in higher incidence among women aged 35 to 54 years. As a result, there was an increase seen in the female-to-male incidence rate ratio from 0.73 during 2000 to 2004 to 1.05 during 2015 to 2019.

Incidence rates continued to be lower in women among individuals aged 55 years or older, although the differences became progressively smaller. For example, the female-to-male incidence rate ratio increased from 0.62 to 0.81 during 2000–2004 and 2015–2019, respectively, among persons aged 70 to 74 years.

"We found that the higher lung cancer incidence in women than in men has not only continued in individuals younger than 50 years but also now extends to middle-aged adults as younger women with a high risk of the disease enter older age," the authors write.