The American Lung Association's new 2024 “State of Lung Cancer” report ranks New York in the top 5 states for early diagnosis, surgery and survival.
The American Lung Association says the national lung cancer survival rate has risen 26% in the last five years due to increased awareness and advancements in detection and treatment.
Mike Seilback, National Assistant Vice President for state policy for the American Lung Association, says the rate of new lung cancer cases in New York is 53.9 per 100,000 – in line with the national rate of 53.6.
He notes the survival rate of people alive five years after being diagnosed in the state is 33.9, besting the national rate of 28.4%. In New York 32.1% of cases are caught at an early stage, also several points above the national rate of 27.4%.
"We really saw very good data when it comes to early diagnosis, surgery for lung cancer, and the five-year survival rate," Seilback said. "New York ranks among the best for each of those categories. We so what we're seeing is that a higher percentage of cases are diagnosed early, those patients underwent surgery in many cases, and that they are surviving longer than compared to many other states.”
Massachusetts had the top survival rate, 37.9%, as well as the best rate of early diagnosis, 34.7%.
Dr. David Hill is a pulmonologist in Waterbury, Connecticut who chairs the American Lung Association national board. Hill says early diagnosis is key. Last year, while 16% of those eligible nationwide were screened for lung cancer, Hill says, New Yorkers were screened at a rate of 19.3%.
“So if we start from the beginning lung cancer screening, we know that annual low dose CT scans for patients at high risk really can reduce lung cancer death," Hill said. "And even though New York was number 11 in the country, the screening rate for those eligible was under 20% so there are there are a lot of lives that can be saved. Fortunately, New York has a really robust healthcare system, and it's supported strongly at the state level, so that that leads to some of those better outcomes. And it's a sign if we fund the health care system, well, people do better. So we're really urging both the states and Congress to take action, particularly calling on Congress to pass the Increasing Access to Lung Cancer Screening Act.”
Hill says much progress has been made in treating lung cancer thanks to biomarker testing that monitors changes in a tumor's DNA. The testing is being employed to customize treatments and for individual patients.
There are targeted therapies, typically what are called monoclonal antibodies. There's also a treatment called immunotherapy, which uses the body's own immune system to fight cancers, and it's really important that insurance cover the biomarker testing itself. It can be expensive, and it can be a cost barrier to people who have cancer if they don't have appropriate coverage, New York in general, does cover comprehensive biomarker testing, which is good. Not every state does that, and one of the challenges for patients with lung cancer is health care in the United States is very expensive, so screening is often covered, but patients can have a substantial financial barrier to getting appropriate treatment once they are diagnosed," said Hill.
Seilback says there are 11 unique biomarkers that can dictate the course of treatment.
"We always encourage anyone facing a lung cancer diagnosis to ask their doctors about biomarker testing. And New York is one of about 25 states that insurance covers biomarker testing. So that's really important, and we want to see that coverage expand across the country. We also want to make sure that legislators in Albany basically pass legislation so that lung cancer screening and its follow-up is all covered by insurance, the same way that colorectal breast and cervical cancer are treated in New York," said Seilback.
The ALA recommends lung cancer screenings for former smokers and other high-risk people between the ages of 55 and 80.
