Dr. Albert Rizzo, Chief Medical Officer, American Lung Association, and Deb Brown, Chief Mission Officer, American Lung Association, discussed the ALA’s annual report on lung cancer. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in America, but both expressed hope thanks to their aggressive anti-smoking advocacy and scans for people at high risk. Screening is used to detect lung cancer early, if caught before it spreads, the likelihood of surviving 5 years or more improves to 60 percent. We discussed the causes, while smoking is accountable for many cases, second hand smoke, particle pollution and radon can also cause it. For former smokers, however, a screening program can help discover cancer while still in its earliest stages. We also discussed the outcome disparities for men – and women – of colour, in scanning and treatment.
For more information call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit Lung.org. For the risk factor questionnaire go to SavedByTheScan.