ABSTRACT
On a global basis, the incidence of lung cancer continues to rise drastically in parallel with the increased tobacco consumption. The picture, however, varies from country to country. Cancer statistics from the USA confirm that the downturn in the increase of lung cancer in males began in the late 1980s, and between 1990 and 1996 the incidence rates decreased significantly, viz. 2.6% per year. The incidence rates of lung cancer in females are stabilizing in the USA and have begun to decline among women aged 40 to 59. In 1987, lung cancer surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in women in the USA and is expected to account for 25% of all female cancer deaths in 2000.1
Similar to trends in incidence in the USA, significant decreases in death rates for lung and bronchus cancer have occurred only among males (on average 1.6% per year between 1990 and 1996); rates among females recently have begun to slow down and appear to be stabilizing.
