Younger Women Now Have Greater Burden of Lung Cancer Than Men

Among Americans aged 35 to 54 years, lung cancer is now more common in women than in men, according to data published in JAMA Oncology.

Researchers found that, from 2000 to 2019, declines in lung cancer incidence were greater in men than in women, and this resulted in a higher incidence of lung cancer among women aged 35 to 54 years.

The researchers analyzed data from patients diagnosed with lung and bronchus cancer from 2000 through 2019. Patients were enrolled in 22 SEER registries, which cover nearly half of the US population. Patients were stratified by sex and age.

The researchers observed declines in lung cancer incidence from 2000-2004 to 2015-2019. These declines were greater in men than in women, which led to a higher incidence of lung cancer among women aged 35 to 54 years.

The researchers noted that, among men aged 50 to 54 years, the lung cancer incidence rate (per 100,000 person-years) decreased from 65.6 to 36.8 — a 44% decrease. Among women in this age group, the lung cancer incidence rate decreased from 48.1 to 38.5 — a 20% decrease.

As a result of this difference, the female-to-male incidence rate ratio increased from 0.73 in 2000-2004 to 1.05 in 2015-2019.

The incidence of lung cancer remained lower in women than in men for patients who were 55 years or older. However, the differences in incidence did become increasingly smaller over time, according to the researchers.

They noted that, among patients who were 70 to 74 years of age, the female-to-male incidence rate ratio increased from 0.62 in 2000-2004 to 0.81 in 2015-2019.

“[W]e 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 researchers wrote. “Reasons for this shift are unclear. Further research is needed to elucidate reasons for the higher lung cancer incidence in young women.”

Reference

Jemal A, Schafer EJ, Sung H, et al. The burden of lung cancer in women compared with men in the US. JAMA Oncol. Published online October 12, 2023. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2023.4415

This article originally appeared on Cancer Therapy Advisor