The American Lung Association released its fifth annual "State of Lung Cancer" report Tuesday.
The report reveals more Americans than ever are surviving lung cancer. Trevor Summerfield is Director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association in New York and Vermont. He says 14.2 million Americans currently meet guidelines for screening, which were expanded in March 2021 to include a larger age range and more current and former smokers based on new research. The number of women and Black Americans considered high risk for lung cancer increased dramatically as a result.
Summerfield notes that while lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths among both women and men, over the past five years, the survival rate has increased 21% nationally to 25%. But it remains significantly lower among communities of color at 20%. Black New Yorkers are least likely to be diagnosed early.
“We definitely saw the disparities among communities of color, specifically, in Connecticut, in New York, do far worse than they should be doing," said Summerfield. "And really, you just point to access to care. And a lot of these communities, they don't have access to the care needed to get them the appropriate coverage they need.”
Summerfield says New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts lead the way in screening and surgical treatment.
“Up in Vermont as well, they did fairly well on the scorecard," Summerfield said. "I would just point to I mean, out of the four states that I'm talking about today, I would say that they did rank lower on in this report when it came to surgery, and lack of treatment. So definitely just some issues to look at a little bit more on the ground up in Vermont to see how we can get the word out and make sure that the necessary resources are there for people to get screening and get the treatment necessary to treat lung cancer as they are unfortunately diagnosed.”
Dr. David Hill is a member of the Lung Association's National Board of Directors and is Director of Clinical Research at Connecticut's Waterbury Pulmonary Associates. Hill urges people who meet certain criteria to get screened, even if they don't have any signs or symptoms.
"If you're between the ages of 50 and 80, and you have a 20 pack year smoking history: the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years, or two packs for 10 years, and either you still smoke or you've quit within the last 15 years, then you should be screened," Hill said. "And then there are other people who might be at risk, if you have a strong family history of lung cancer, then you may want to discuss with your physicians whether you might be a candidate for screening as well.”
According to the ALA, in New York, it is estimated that more than 14,000 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer in 2022 and 6,660 will die from the disease. Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths, yet awareness about lung cancer remains low and the lifesaving potential of lung cancer screening remains underutilized.
“Here in the Northeast, the good thing is we do a little better than the rest of the country in terms of screening and early diagnosis of lung cancer," said Hill. "But we're still screening at relatively low rates compared to the number of people who are at risk. And so I'd encourage people to talk to their physicians about whether they're a candidate for screening.”
ALA notes The "State of Lung Cancer" report does not reflect the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer diagnosis, treatment, or survival. The data in the report was collected before the coronavirus emerged. Again, Summerfield:
"The takeaway this year is that screening saves lives. But more people need to get the scan. And they need to know they're eligible for screening," said Summerfield.
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Thursday is the "Great American Smokeout" – an annual observance through the American Cancer Society for those who smoke or vape to practice becoming nicotine-free. The New York State Smokers' Quitline offers free resources.
Find out if you are eligible for lung cancer screening at SavedByTheScan.org
Read the ALA report here.
