How long does it take to develop lung cancer?

?: Children and teenagers can get lung cancer.

Not quickly: This is a very variable situation depending on cancer type and can take many years for a small cancer spot to grow into a larger detectable mass.

Lag time: Only 15% of smokers get lung cancer. There is generally a 15-20 year lag time between smoking and lung cancer development. Some never smokers are genetically predispositioned to lung cancer, and may develop lung cancer at a early age.