Lung cancer survival increasing; however, disparities still exist, with consistently worse outcomes seen among people of color
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Dec. 2, 2024 (HealthDay News) — The lung cancer survival rate improved 26 percent in the last five years, according to the “State of Lung Cancer” report published by the American Lung Association.
The annual report examines new cases, survival, early diagnosis, surgical treatment, lack of treatment, screening rates, and insurance coverage of comprehensive biomarker testing.
According to the report, the national average of five-year survival is 28.4 percent (an increase of 26 percent over the last five years), with the best survival rates seen in Massachusetts (37.9 percent) and worst rates in Oklahoma (22.2 percent). Nationally, just over one-fourth of cases (27.4 percent) are diagnosed at an early stage, which has a five-year survival rate of 64 percent; 43 percent of cases are diagnosed at a late stage, when the survival rate is only 9 percent. One in five cases nationally (20.7 percent) undergo surgery. One in five cases nationally (20.9 percent) are untreated for reasons such as lack of provider or patient knowledge, stigma associated with lung cancer, fatalism after diagnosis, or cost of treatment. People of color who are diagnosed with lung cancer are less likely to be diagnosed early, less likely to be alive five years after diagnosis, less likely to receive surgical treatment, and more likely to receive no treatment.
“More people with lung cancer are living longer, and that is something to celebrate,” Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, said in a statement. “However, lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.”
State of Lung Cancer
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