Pulmonary Carcinoma (Lung Cancer)

In more than 90 percent of all cases tumours of the lung are malignant. Basically speaking they can develop in all sections of the lungs, though they are most frequently found in the upper area of the lung. This region is more strongly "aired" and thus comes into contact with harmful substances more frequently. Lung cancer, which accounts for around 40,000 deaths in Germany every year, is one of the most malignant illnesses and can rarely be healed.

In the year 2003, according to the Federal Statistics Office, 28,652 men and 10,634 women died of bronchial cancer. For men, lung cancer is thus the most frequent cause of death by cancer; for women it is the third-most-frequent. Given the changes in smoking habits, the number of female deaths is currently continuing to increase, whereas the fatality figures for men have slightly decreased since the mid-80s.

Lung cancer mostly appears from the age of 40. The risk of suffering from the illness increases with increasing age. Most persons suffering from lung cancer in Germany are, on average, about 65 years old.