Lung cancer is the #1 cancer killer of women in the U.S. – in fact, every five minutes, a woman in the U.S. learns she has lung cancer. The truth is, anyone can get lung cancer, and no one deserves it. For the fifth year the American Lung Association’s LUNG FORCE is uniting lung cancer survivors and their loved ones across the country to stand together in an effort to defeat lung cancer in women.

 

The Truth About Lung Cancer in Women:

• It’s estimated that lung cancer will represent close to 1 in 4 female cancer deaths in 2019

• In the last 40 years, the rate of women dying from lung cancer has increased 79%

• Close to half of all women diagnosed with lung cancer will not even survive one year, and the five-year survival rate for women with lung cancer is only one in five.

• Smoking is the leading risk factor for lung cancer, but other causes include exposure to secondhand smoke, radon gas, air pollution and asbestos.

 

LUNG FORCE, in partnership with CVS Health, has made significant inroads in the effort to defeat lung cancer over the past five years, including:

• Helped to secure a 69% increase in lung cancer research funding at the National Institutes of Health.

• Successfully advocated for Medicare coverage of lung cancer screening for 8 million high-risk adults.

• Successfully advocated to increase the legal age to purchase tobacco to 21 in 5 states and the District of Columbia.

• Increased the American Lung Association’s annual investment in lung cancer research by over 200% since 2014

 

While much has been done to enlighten the public about this disease, more help is needed to fight for innovations in medical research, better treatments and new methods of early detection for lung cancer.

 

Dr. Andrea McKee, Scientific Advisory Committee Member and Medical Spokesperson for the American Lung Association along with Adrina Meola, LUNG FORCE volunteer and advocate, and dedicated CVS Pharmacy employee, joined me to discuss how everyone can come together to defeat lung cancer once and for all. They’ll also provide an update on the five-year success of LUNG FORCE and how everyone can help.