Progress towards controlling lung cancer in Rhode Island.

Background Lung cancer (cancer of the lung and bronchus) is the leading cause of cancer death in Rhode Island and the U.S. overall.1 Currently, it is the most common cancer to be diagnosed in Rhode Island (second most common among males, after prostate cancer, and second most common among females, after breast cancer), and second most common to be diagnosed in the U.S.2 Annual counts of new lung cancers and deaths have increased over the past 25 years in Rhode Island (19% and 2%, respectively), despite great strides in prevention, although annual age-adjusted rates of new lung cancers and deaths tell a slightly different story. In the United States, tobacco use is the leading cause of lung cancer, followed in importance by exposure to radon gas indoors.3 Ongoing work to decrease human exposure to these carcinogens will diminish morbidity and mortality from this disease, as may new recommendations for lung cancer screening issued by the United States Preventive Services Task Force.4 Lung cancer trends are tracked nationally by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program of the National Cancer Institute, the National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR), the National Center of Health Statistics (NCHS) of the CDC, and the American Cancer Society (ACS) and other private organizations. Locally, lung cancer trends are tracked by the Rhode Island Cancer Registry (RICR). RICR is an organizational unit of the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH), operated by the Hospital Association of Rhode Island (HARI) under contract with HEALTH. RICR contributes to the national cancer statistics published annually by NPCR and NAACCR.