Lung Cancer Awareness and Cancer Screening Success

Let's Clear the Air About Lung Cancer November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and it’s time to take a closer look at the facts about lung cancer, identify how to reduce your risk, and get the right message about screening. Cigarette smoking is linked to about 80% to 90% of lung cancer deaths in the United States. Secondhand smoke (smoke from other people’s cigarettes, pipes, or cigars), radon gas, which occurs naturally from rocks and dirt, and substances such as asbestos, arsenic, diesel exhaust, silica, and chromium can also cause lung cancer. Now that you know these facts, here are things you can do to reduce your risk for lung cancer. Don't smoke Avoid secondhand smoke Get your home tested for radon gas Follow safety guidelines at work for substances that can cause cancer Lung cancer screening is recommended for adults who have no symptoms but are at high risk. This includes people with a history of heavy smoking, who smoke now or have quit smoking within the last 15 years, and are between 55 and 80 years old. Talking with your doctor about your risks can help you decide whether to get lung cancer screening. Check out our new lung cancer resources. How Communities Can Help People Lower Their Lung Cancer Risk Lung Cancer Quiz Read More Using What Works to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening The journal Preventing Chronic Disease recently published an article with program year 1 (PY1) results from CDC’s Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP). The CRCCP funds 30 state, university, and tribal partners to work with health systems and clinics serving high-need, underserved populations and implement evidence-based interventions (EBIs) to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates. The article, Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screening in Health Care Systems Using Evidence-Based Interventions reports that in PY1, CRCCP partners worked with more than 400 clinics (primarily Federally Qualified Health Centers) that serve over 700,000 patients aged 50 to 75. Key results from the first year include: CRC screening rates increased 4.4 percentage points in year 1, from 42.9% at baseline to 47.3%, in partner clinics. Over 24,000 additional people were screened. The study highlights that CRCCP is reaching its intended underserved population and has been effective in achieving its goal of increasing screening rates. CDC will continue to evaluate the program and its impact on screening rates through the end of the five-year funding period. Read More AMIGAS Tailored Approach for Cervical Cancer Screening Gets Results A new Community Guide in Acton story from The Community Guide, “AMIGAS: Promoting Cervical Cancer Screening Among Hispanic Women,” highlights the AMIGAS program for its success in using evidence-based strategies to increase cervical cancer screening. AMIGAS (Ayudando a Las Mujeres con Información, Guía y Amor para su Salud or Helping Women with Information, Guidance, and Love for Their Health) is a bilingual educational outreach program co-created by CDC and designed to help promotoras(community health workers) and other health educators increase cervical cancer screening among Hispanic women. Researchers at CDC, Texas Tech University Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, and the University of Texas School of Public Health, conducted formative research on the health care experiences and knowledge of cervical cancer among Hispanic women. AMIGAS successfully used communication materials and one-on-one education by promotoras to promote and increase cervical cancer screening among Hispanic women in Texas and Washington. Read More Health Care Providers Support Patients in Lung Cancer Screening Decisions Health care providers have a key role in lung cancer screening. Providers determine the eligibility of patients for screening, ensure that patients understand the benefits and harms of screening, and work with patients to help make decisions about screening. Lung cancer screening for people at high risk can reduce cancer deaths and find cancer at an early stage where treatment is more effective. Find out more with these lung cancer screening resources for providers. Is Lung Cancer Screening Right for Me? serves as a decision tool that helps providers work with patients to make decisions about screening. Annual screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is the only recommended test for lung cancer screening. Clinician's Checklist helps providers meet the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) criteria for lung cancer screening. Lung Cancer Screening: A Summary Guide for Primary Care Clinicians gives providers an overview of the recommended lung cancer screening test. Lung cancer screening is not a substitute for quitting smoking. Health care providers have a unique opportunity to help tobacco users quit. Read More New CDC Report Highlights Lung Cancer In Women Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States. A new CDC report highlights CDC resources that can provide the most recent data about the occurrence, survival, and deaths related to lung cancer among women. Based on data from the U.S. Cancer Statistics, 13% of all cancer diagnoses and 25% of all cancer deaths among women in 2015 were due to lung cancer. The report also shows that lung cancer incidence rates increased with age, with the highest rate (347.3) among women aged 75-79 years. Among women diagnosed with lung cancer during 2001-2014, the 5-year relative survival was 22%, which is lower than other cancers in women including breast, cervical, and ovarian. Read More Did You Know?  Approximately 218,000 Americans are diagnosed with lung cancer each year and about 154,000 die. Lung cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer in women in the United States.