Lung Cancer Awareness Month highlights need for more screening

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00:00Lung cancer is still the number one cause of cancer-related deaths.

00:04November is National Lung Cancer Awareness Month,

00:06a month the medical community reminds us why getting screened early and often could save your life.

00:14There's actually some data out there that shows that only about 15% of people who are eligible

00:19get screened. Dr. Danielle Hughes is a pulmonary and critical care physician.

00:23She stresses early detection is key when it comes to cancer.

00:26So if we can find it earlier, we can offer patients better survival overall.

00:31A report by the American Lung Association shows someone is diagnosed with lung cancer

00:36every two minutes in the United States. 361 people die from the disease every day.

00:41With those numbers, Hughes reiterates, if you've ever smoked,

00:44you need to talk to your doctor about screening.

00:46It's really hard when I see a patient that comes in who's 65,

00:51should have been getting screened for 15 years, and we find

00:54something that's extremely extensive. Not to mention that screening may find other health

00:59concerns. We'll find things like coronary artery disease or, you know, maybe I'm finding beginnings

01:06of some lung disease on there. No matter what, if anything is found,

01:10Hughes says the key is regular screenings. Regular screening has been shown to catch

01:15lung cancer at earlier stages, and earlier stages have better prognosis and better survival. At the end of

01:21the day, Hughes reminds that we are our own best advocate. If you think something is wrong,

01:26get it checked out. The earlier that we detect things,

01:29the better the prognosis and survival. For Straight Arrow News, I'm Jack Henry.