Trends in lung cancer mortality among young adults in Japan

Background: Trends in lung cancer mortality among young adults, which are important for projecting future trends, have not been explored previously in Japan. Methods: Using data from the National Vital Statistics between 1958 and 2003, we compiled lung cancer mortality by sex and 5-year birth cohort among young adults aged 20-49. Results: Mortality among those aged 20-29 has consistently decreased regardless of sex. There were birth cohort effects in mortality from lung cancer, although these were less evident among women than among men. Both men and women born in the 1930s had lower mortality rates, while those born after 1940 had higher lung cancer mortality rates. Mortality rates appear to be declining for male birth cohorts born after 1950 and female birth cohorts after 1960, although these trends may not be stable due to the small number of deaths in these cohorts. Conclusion: Lung cancer mortality trends appear to be decreasing among young adults. This might be associated with the lower mortality of birth cohorts after 1950 for men and the 1960s birth cohorts for women. Careful monitoring is needed to confirm continuation of these declining trends.