Key Statistics for Lung Carcinoid Tumor

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About 1% to 2% of all lung cancers are carcinoids. This means there are about 2,000 to 4,500 newly diagnosed lung carcinoid tumors in the United States each year.

Carcinoid tumors actually develop more often in the digestive tract than in the lungs. Only about 2 out of 10 carcinoid tumors start in the lungs.

Lung carcinoids tend to be diagnosed in people who are slightly younger than the typical age of people with other types of lung cancer. The average age of people when they are diagnosed is around 45 years for typical carcinoids and 55 years for atypical carcinoids.

Information on survival rates for lung carcinoids can be found in Survival Rates for Lung Carcinoid Tumors.

Visit the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Statistics Center for more key statistics.         

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References

The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team

Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.

American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2022. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2022.

Hilal T. Current understanding and approach to well differentiated lung neuroendocrine tumors: an update on classification and management. Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology. 2017;9(3):189-199. doi:10.1177/1758834016678149.

Melosky B. Low Grade Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Lung. Frontiers in Oncology. 2017;7:119. doi:10.3389/fonc.2017.00119.

Last Revised: January 12, 2022

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