Annual Report to the Nation: Lung Cancer Deaths Down 52% in Men

Fewer people in the United States are dying of cancer, and progress against lung cancer is the biggest reason. That is the main finding of the 2026 Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, released Sept. 22, 2026, and published in the journal Cancer. The report is a joint effort of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the American Cancer Society and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.

Cancer death rates fell for both men and women from 2019 to 2023, continuing a decline that has lasted more than 20 years. At the same time, the rate of new cancer diagnoses rose slightly each year from 2018 to 2022, mostly because of increases in breast cancer among women and prostate cancer among men.

What the Report Found About Lung Cancer

This year's report focused on lung cancer, which remains the second most common cancer in men and women and the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. Among its findings:

• Deaths: Lung cancer death rates dropped 52% in men and 37% in women from 2004 to 2023.
• New cases: Lung cancer diagnosis rates fell 38% in men and 15% in women from 2003 to 2022.
• Earlier diagnosis: The share of lung cancers found at an early, localized stage rose from 16% to 27% in men and from 19% to 33% in women.
• Survival: The five-year relative survival rate for lung cancer about doubled, from roughly 15% for people diagnosed in 2000 to about 30% for those diagnosed in 2018.

Five-year relative survival compares people with cancer to people of the same age in the general population, and it reflects people diagnosed years ago, before some of today's treatments were available.

Why Lung Cancer Deaths Are Falling

The researchers pointed to several reasons. Adult cigarette smoking fell from about 22.6% in 2001 to 9.9% in 2024. Exposure to secondhand smoke among nonsmokers also dropped. More cancers are being found early through screening, and newer treatments, including targeted therapy and immunotherapy, are helping people live longer after diagnosis.

Screening still has a long way to go. Only about 18% of adults for whom lung cancer screening is recommended were up to date in 2024. Read more about record cancer survival rates in 2026.

Who Is Still Being Left Behind

The gains have not reached everyone equally. Lung cancer death rates were more than five times higher among people with a high school education or less than among college graduates, and about 40% higher in rural areas than in cities. The report also found that Black men had the highest overall rate of new cancers and Black women had a higher breast cancer death rate than women of other groups. American Indian and Alaska Native people had liver cancer death rates nearly double those of White people.

What It Means for You

These are population-level trends, so they cannot predict what will happen to any one person. But they show that quitting smoking, screening and better treatment are making a measurable difference. The researchers said continued progress depends on further cutting smoking, keeping environments tobacco-free and making sure people can get early detection, timely diagnosis and up-to-date treatment.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends a yearly low-dose CT scan for adults ages 50 to 80 who have smoked at least 20 pack-years and currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years.

References

1. "Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, featuring 21st century progress against lung cancer." Henley SJ, et al. Cancer. Sept. 22, 2026.
2. "Annual Report to the Nation: Progress Against Lung Cancer Drives Down Cancer Mortality." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sept. 22, 2026.

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