The American Lung Association in Virginia has released its 2025 “State of Lung Cancer” report, showing that lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in both Virginia and the United States. The report finds that while Virginia ranks fourth among 49 states for receiving lung cancer treatment, with a rate of 15.8%, there is still significant progress to be made.
Aleks Casper, director of advocacy for the American Lung Association, commented on the findings: “In the last decade, we have seen incredible progress, including increases in lung cancer survival and early detection rates. This means that more people in Virginia are living longer after a lung cancer diagnosis. While this progress gives us hope, early detection and survival rates are far too low in the Commonwealth. Working to increase awareness and access to lung cancer screening and biomarker testing are critical to saving lives. This is why Virginia must step in to ensure their residents have access to the best lung cancer care.”
The annual report reviews several key measures related to lung cancer across states, such as new case incidence, survival rates, early diagnosis rates, surgical treatment frequency, lack of treatment cases, screening rates, and insurance coverage for comprehensive biomarker testing.
One major finding is that Virginia does not require insurance companies to cover comprehensive biomarker testing for lung cancer patients. Biomarker testing examines tumor DNA for changes that can guide doctors toward more effective treatments tailored to individual patients. In some states, insurance coverage for this type of testing is mandated by law; however, this is not yet the case in Virginia.
The American Lung Association’s report calls on state policymakers to implement legislation requiring insurance coverage for comprehensive biomarker testing. According to the organization, improving access and affordability could lead to better outcomes through earlier diagnoses and more targeted treatments.
More information about the 2025 “State of Lung Cancer” report can be found at https://www.lung.org/research/state-of-lung-cancer/ or by visiting Lung.org/solc.
