The average age of lung cancer diagnosis in 2021 was 70.8 years for Jewish men, 66.9 years for Arab men, 70.3 years for Jewish women, and 63.4 years for Arab women.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

A long-term study of lung cancer in Israel released on Wednesday by the Health Ministry found that smoking — both active and passive — remains the primary risk factor.

“The link between smoking and lung cancer is unequivocal. While trends in recent years suggest a decrease in mortality rates, continued efforts are needed to reduce smoking rates and prevent further lung cancer cases,” said Professor Lital Keinan-Boker, Director of the ministry’s National Center for Disease Control.

The comprehensive report on lung cancer diagnoses and mortality by the ministry’s National Center for Disease Control, covered the years 1996-2021.

In 2021, Israel saw 2,907 new cases of lung cancer, with a significant disparity between men and women. Men accounted for 60.3% of the diagnoses, while women made up 39.7%. Lung cancer claimed the lives of 1,875 patients that year.

Of those cases, 80-90% were linked to tobacco use.

Lung cancer rates are highest among individuals aged 55 and over, with only 8.3% of new diagnoses occurring in those under 55. Among various demographic groups, lung cancer diagnoses show stark variations in age and incidence.

The data also revealed a steady decline in lung cancer incidence among Jewish men, with a 3.5% decrease in rates from 2016 to 2021. However, the incidence rate among Jewish women has remained relatively stable, staying low since 2014.

In contrast, lung cancer rates among Arab men have remained stable over the same period, with the highest incidence observed in this group, while rates for Arab women remain the lowest across all population groups.

The average age of lung cancer diagnosis in 2021 was 70.8 years for Jewish men, 66.9 years for Arab men, 70.3 years for Jewish women, and 63.4 years for Arab women.

These figures illustrate the earlier onset of lung cancer among Arab populations, particularly Arab women, who have the lowest average age at diagnosis.

In terms of survival rates, there has been some improvement over the years. The survival rate for Jewish men increased from 15.3% in 1996-2002 to 25.7% in 2010-2017. Similarly, survival rates for Jewish women rose from 23.3% to 38.1% in the same periods.

For Arab men, the survival rate increased from 14.4% to 20.5%, while for Arab women, it went from 19.7% to 33.9%.

Mortality rates have also shown signs of improvement, particularly among Jewish men, where mortality rates have decreased by 3.4% since 2011.

Arab men saw a more significant decrease of 7.3%, while mortality rates among Jewish women dropped by 2% since 2016. Conversely, mortality rates for Arab women have remained stable.

In an international context, Israel ranks 55th in lung cancer incidence and 78th in mortality rates compared to other countries, based on data from 185 regional and national cancer registries reported to the World Health Organization.

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