The number of people in the UK living with lung cancer will have doubled by 2040 from around 65,000 in 2010 to around 137,000 and the number of women living with lung cancer will rise 35 times faster than in men, Macmillan Cancer Support has warned.
By 2040 the number of women with lung cancer will have overtaken men.
In 2010, lung cancer received just a quarter of the amount of research funding compared with breast cancer. This is despite the fact lung cancer kills more people in the UK than any other cancer.
Ciarán Devane, chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: "Lung cancer survival needs to improve. It is nonsensical that research in this area receives such minimal funding compared with other cancers. This has to change."
"For most cancers in the UK we are looking at how we can cope with a population of long-term survivors with health complications. With lung cancer we are a long way from even being able to consider these issues."
The overall increase is mainly due to an ageing population.
