Incidentally, if you are a smoker and have had exposure to radon, your risk for lung cancer increases by 144 percent. Out of 1,000 women who smoke and have been exposed to radon, 260 of them are estimated to get lung cancer. However, out of 1,000 women who do not smoke and have been exposed to radon, only 36 are estimated to get lung cancer. It is clear why both smoking and exposure to radon are the leading causes of lung cancer incidences in women.

Breast Cancer vs. Lung Caner

While attention still should be given to breast cancer, it is also important that women pay attention to lung cancer. Regrettably, lung cancer isn't discussed as much because of the smoking stigma associated with the disease. However, regardless of how or why lung cancer rates in women rise, it is a growing problem. Without discussion about lung cancer mortality rates in women, many women may increase their risk for lung cancer when that risk is already high. Unknowingly, women could put themselves in harm’s way because there is no ongoing conversation about lung cancer prevalence and mortality rates in women.

Advocacy and awareness of lung cancer in women is vital to decreasing mortality rates. While many women who get lung cancer continue to live with the disease, lung cancer is often fatal.

In reality, only 16 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer are survivors. Prevention is the biggest tool women have in combating lung cancer. Educate yourself and the women around you about the dangers of lung cancer and how to prevent it.