BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths 
worldwide. The aim of this study was to examine the trend in the incidence of 
lung cancer, validated by histology in Tianjin, the third largest municipal city 
in China, during the period from 1981 to 2005.
METHODS: New lung cancer cases, crude incidence rates and age-adjusted rates by 
histological type were analysed using the data from the Tianjin Cancer Registry, 
which covers a population of 4 million urban residents.
RESULTS: The most common histological types of lung cancer were squamous cell 
carcinoma (SQCC) in men and adenocarcinoma (ADC) in women. During the 25-year 
period, the constitutive pattern of the histological types changed gradually, 
ADC increased by 31.4%, but SQCC decreased by 25.6% among women. For SQCC, ADC 
or small cell carcinoma (SMCC), both the new cases and crude incidences per year 
increased among men and women. However, the age-adjusted incidences of all types 
of lung cancer showed an initial increase, which then levelled off or declined 
in recent years. The birth-cohort incidence analyses revealed that SQCC declined 
sharply, while ADC still increased among the younger age groups.
CONCLUSION: The incidences of lung cancer by histological type changed during 
the 25-year period in Tianjin. Tailored strategies on prevention and control 
should be developed to meet the needs for various populations.