What is the risk for lung cancer in women who smoke?
Lung cancer is now the leading cause of cancer deaths among women. Cigarette smoking is the main culprit and responsible for 80% of these cancer deaths. Lung cancer has always been and continues to be more common in men than women but the difference is declining. Unfortunately statistics show that smoking rates among women are expected to surpass those among men by the year 2000. Lung cancer is not the only smoking related cause of death in women. The World Health Organization states that at least 25% of women smokers will die of smoking-related disease such as cardiovascular disease and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
