World Lung Cancer Day Aug. 1 Kicks Off Lung Cancer Awareness This Month

Hospital offers lung cancer screenings, surgical interventions to save lives

August 2, 2021 - World Lung Cancer Day Aug. 1, a time to get the word out about the need for early detection and treatment of lung cancer, which may result in a better chance of survival. More men and women in the United States die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer. An estimated 155,000 people will die from lung cancer each year in the U.S., accounting for about 25 percent of all cancer deaths. 

Get Screened

Lung cancer is often detected too late and with a low survival rate. There are however, ways to diagnose lung cancer early. Nacogdoches Medical Center offers lung cancer screening for people who meet certain criteria. CT scans of the chest can detect lung cancer early in people at risk for the disease. Although non-smokers can get lung cancer too, the CT scan is recommended for people who have a history of heavy smoking (a pack a day for 30 years or two packs a day for 15 years), who smoke now or have quit within the past 15 years and are between the ages of 55 and 80 years old. Early detection can decrease lung cancer mortality by 14 to 20 percent among high-risk populations. About 8 million Americans qualify as high risk for lung cancer and it is recommended they receive regular screening.

“Technology available at Nacogdoches Medical Center can help people survive lung cancer by finding it early, which can lead to better outcomes,” said Mary Hebert, M.D., radiation oncologist and medical director with Nacogdoches Medical Center. “We encourage people at high-risk for lung cancer to be screened so that medical interventions can be performed before the disease spreads,” she said. 

Cause and Effect

In about 80 percent of lung cancer deaths in women, and 90 percent of deaths in men, smoking can be attributed as the cause. Men who smoke are 23 times more likely to develop lung cancer. Women are 13 times more likely, compared to never smokers. More than half of people with lung cancer die within one year of being diagnosed. At just under 19 percent, the five-year lung cancer survival rate is lower than that for colorectal cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer. The five-year survival rate for lung cancer is 56 percent for cases detected when the disease is still localized within the lungs. However, only 16 percent of lung cancer cases are diagnosed at an early stage. Once the disease has spread to other organs, the five-year survival rate is only 5 percent.

Know the symptoms

Most lung cancers do not cause any symptoms until they have spread, but some people with early lung cancer do have symptoms. If you go to your doctor when you first notice symptoms, your cancer might be diagnosed at an earlier stage, when treatment is more likely to be effective. Most of these symptoms are more likely to be caused by something other than lung cancer. Still, if you have any of these problems, it’s important to see your doctor right away so the cause can be found and treated, if needed. The most common symptoms of lung cancer are:

  • A cough that does not go away or gets worse
  • Coughing up blood or rust-colored sputum (spit or phlegm)
  • Chest pain that is often worse with deep breathing, coughing, or laughing
  • Hoarseness
  • Loss of appetite
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Shortness of breath
  • Feeling tired or weak
  • Infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia that don’t go away or keep coming back
  • New onset of wheezing

For more information on lung cancer, screenings and treatment go to https://www.nacmedicalcenter.com/services/oncology.

Sources: 

American Lung Association - https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/lung-cancer/resource-library/lung-cancer-fact-sheet
American Cancer Society - https://www.cancer.org/cancer/lung-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/survival-rates.html