(TNND) — The survival rate for lung cancer is on the rise, as more Americans are getting earlier diagnoses that could save their lives.
The American Lung Association released its eighth annual State of Lung Cancer report, noting the five-year survival rate has gone from 18% to nearly 30% in under a decade.
But more people die of lung cancer than any other kind of cancer, and there’s still a lot of work to do, according to the American Lung Association.
“There’s been a lot of progress in efforts to end lung cancer. There’s increases in the rate of lung cancer survival, and there’s increases in the rates of early detection, which are both really good news,” said Laura Kate Bender, the vice president of nationwide advocacy and public policy at the American Lung Association. “We’re also noting though that that progress is under threat. Cuts to staff and to funding at CDC and NIH, cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act are a threat to that continued progress.”
Protecting cancer research and health care coverage are priorities for the American Lung Association, Bender said.
American Lung Association research, file (Courtesy of the American Lung Association)
And they are pushing hard to get more states to require insurance coverage of comprehensive biomarker testing for lung cancer.
Seventeen states do, while five more states require some coverage.
The American Lung Association said biomarker testing can help doctors identify better, more targeted treatment options with fewer side effects.
Nearly 227,000 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year, according to the American Lung Association.
Tobacco use accounts for the majority of cases, but Bender said exposure to radon gas and air pollution are also leading factors.
The American Lung Association report offers state-level breakdowns of lung cancer rates, screening performance and more.
Utah has the nation’s best lung cancer rate, while Kentucky has the worst at more than 2.3 times the incidence rate of Utah.
Survival rates were best in Rhode Island (37.6%) and worst in Alabama (22.7%).
Nationally, less than 30% of cases are diagnosed at an early stage, when the five-year survival rate can hit 65%.
More than four in 10 cases aren’t caught until a late stage, when the survival rate is only 10%.
Early diagnosis rates were best in Rhode Island (35.5%) and worst in Hawaii (21.8%).
Bender encouraged anyone who qualifies to get a lung cancer screening. She said you can check your qualification at savedbythescan.org.
An annual low-dose CT scan for those at high risk can reduce the lung cancer death rate by up to 20%, the American Lung Association said.
“Catching this disease early is so powerful in terms of improving the survival rate,” Bender said.
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