LAKELAND, Fla. — Lung cancer remains the deadliest form of cancer in the United States; however, fewer people are getting screened, especially in Florida.
“Here in Florida, in particular it’s the number one cause of cancer death. I don’t think people think about it, unfortunately,” said Dr. Alexa von Lindeman, Lakeland Regional Health medical director of primary care ambulatory.
Dr. von Lindeman said people are unaware of lung cancer symptoms, which makes them less likely to be screened for it. She said improving lung cancer outcomes starts with having a primary care physician like herself.
“One of the key things that we need to do is make sure that people have their primary care provider because, unfortunately, these are not things that you're just going to be able and walk in and request. This is about having a team. Somebody that is going to be your healthcare partner,” said Dr. von Lindeman.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends annual screening for lung cancer for high-risk people.
“The criteria really shows that it’s individuals between the ages of 50 and 80 years old. You have to have had a 20-pack-year history of smoking and be either a current smoker or a former smoker within the last 15 years,” said Ashley Lyerly, Senior Director of Advocacy for Florida at the American Lung Association.
Other risk factors for lung cancer include being exposed to secondhand smoke and having a family history of lung cancer.
“We are seeing more and more nonsmokers being diagnosed with lung cancer, which is attributable to the second cause of lung cancer, which is radon. We also have other environmental exposures," Lyerly said.
Despite this, lung cancer screening in Florida remains low. The American Lung Association in Florida released its “State Of Lung Cancer” report Tuesday, which finds that the rate of lung cancer screening in Florida is at 2.4%, compared to the national average of 4.5%.
The report highlights the urgent need for screenings to save lives.
"Lung cancer screening and early diagnosis are really key indicators for survival of lung cancer. We’ve seen tremendous progress of the survival rate of lung cancer in the past five years, and a lot of that is attributable to early diagnosis,” said Lyerly.
