Lung cancer in women

Is lung cancer different in women? Yes and no.

Lung cancer has received some much-needed attention recently, thanks largely to two admired public figures. In April 2005, ABC news anchorman Peter Jennings told his nightly audience of millions that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Four months later, he died of the disease. Soon afterward came word that actress Dana Reeve, the widow of actor Christopher Reeve, had been diagnosed with lung cancer that would claim her life in March 2006. At age 44, Reeve was more than 20 years younger than the average age at which most lung cancers are discovered.