Only 16% of people in the United States who are eligible for lung cancer screening are getting the recommended scan, according to data shared by the American Lung Association. Additionally, nearly a quarter of lung cancer patients receive chemotherapy or radiation before they have undergone full biomarker testing, which may affect treatment outcomes.
The American Lung Association has launched a new campaign aimed at increasing awareness about lung cancer screening and biomarker testing. The campaign was developed with input from individuals diagnosed with lung cancer and their caregivers.
“Every year, 235,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer. While lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., the five-year survival rate improved 26% in recent years to 28.4%. People are living longer with the disease because of greater access to early lung cancer screening coupled with transformative breakthroughs in research and diagnostics,” said Harold Wimmer, President and CEO of the American Lung Association. “Unfortunately, not enough people are getting these tests, so we went right to the source – people with lung cancer and their families – to find out why. We then crafted this new campaign based on their feedback to make sure more people get screened for lung cancer and receive information about the pathway to diagnosis and comprehensive biomarker testing.”
The association noted that early detection is key: when caught early, lung cancer can often be treated with surgery alone, raising five-year survival rates to 65%. Those aged 50-80 who currently smoke or quit within the last 15 years—and have a significant smoking history—are eligible for low- or no-cost screenings.
Once a suspicious scan is found, further diagnostic procedures and comprehensive biomarker testing help determine next steps for treatment. Biomarker testing (also called Next Generation Sequencing) identifies genetic markers in tumors that can guide targeted therapies, which may result in fewer side effects and better patient outcomes.
To identify barriers preventing optimal care—including access issues and lack of understanding about available tests—the American Lung Association conducted focus groups with patients and caregivers. The findings informed resources provided through this new campaign.
The initiative includes partnerships with Guardant Health to expand educational tools for patients. The organization also continues its efforts through training courses like Lung Cancer Basics as well as support groups for those affected by lung cancer.
More information about these resources is available at Lung.org/lungcancer.
Support for this campaign comes from Guardant Health.
