Lung Cancer in Serbia

The incidence of lung cancer (LC) in Serbia has increased over the past 3 decades. In the period from 1999 to 2008, this increase in incidence was an alarming 27.4%, more so in women than in men. According to official data from the Serbian Cancer Registry of the Institute of Public Health of Serbia Dr. Milan Jovanović Batut.  In 2019, 6863 patients (2069 women, 4794 men) had newly diagnosed LC, comprising 16.2% of all newly diagnosed cancers. LC was the second most common cancer among women (10.5%) after breast cancer with a standardized incidence rate of 22.4/100,000, and the most common cancer among men (21.3%), with a standardized incidence rate of 57/100,000 (Fig. 2). Incidence and mortality rates of cancer sites in women and men in Serbia are presented in Figures 2A and 2B, respectively.

By histological structure, adenocarcinoma accounts for approximately 50% of all LC, whereas almost 60% of newly diagnosed cases are in the advanced stage.