'Mad Men generation' of women smoking in sixties sees rise in lung cancer Smoking was popular among men earlier, with around 65 per cent smoking during the Second World War and this has now dropped to 22 per cent. As a result lung cancer in men is now dropping from its peak in the 1970s to reach 59 cases per 100,000 in 2009 or 23,000 diagnoses. The new figures also reveal that the total number of UK lung cancer deaths stands at almost 35,000 last year, the biggest cancer killer. Jean King, Cancer Research UK's director of tobacco control, said: "These latest figures highlight the deadly impact of tobacco. The continuing rise of lung cancer in women reflects the high number of female smokers several decades ago when attitudes were different. Tobacco advertising hasn't appeared on UK television since 1965, but that didn't stop the marketing of cigarettes. New, more sophisticated marketing techniques have lured many hundreds of thousands into starting an addiction that will kill half of all long term smokers. It's vital that the UK closes one of the last remaining loopholes that portrays smoking as something glamorous and normal, rather than the lethal product it truly is. Ending the packet racket and putting all cigarettes in plain packs with large health warnings is crucial. No one wants to see children take up smoking, and while plain packs won't stop everyone from smoking, it will give millions of children one less reason to start.