Lung Cancer Awareness

By Dr. Rebecca Katzman

 

November is Lung Cancer Awareness month and is a good time to think about screening and prevention. Lung cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States, but more people die from lung cancer than from any other type of cancer. Approximately 125,000 people die each year in the United States from lung cancer. Smoking raises the risk of lung cancer and up to 90% of lung cancer deaths occur in people who smoke cigarettes. One of the reasons that lung cancer carries such a high risk of death is because people often are not diagnosed until later stages of cancer. Luckily, there are some newer treatments that may help some people live longer with lung cancer. Even more importantly, people who are high risk for lung cancer can undergo screening for lung cancer to be able to detect it earlier. Currently, the United States Preventative Service Task Force recommends screening for adults who are aged 50 to 80 years old, currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years, and have a history of smoking the equivalent of 1 pack per day for 20 years.  Medicare participants are covered from ages 50 to 77 for screening if they meet these conditions. Adults who meet these criteria can undergo once yearly low-dose (less radiation) CT scans. The website www.shouldiscreen.com may be a helpful resource to start the conversation with your healthcare provider about the risks and benefits of screening. Your healthcare team can also help with quitting smoking and lowering your risk of lung cancers and other smoking related conditions. Stopping smoking can be hard, but it is never too late to quit.