Lung cancer survival rates have significantly improved over the past five years, but substantial discrepancies persist among Black and Latino communities, as per the recently disclosed 2023 “State of Lung Cancer” report by the American Lung Association.
The report underscores the urgency to enhance communication about lung cancer screening, which continues to be the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the nation, claiming over 120,000 lives annually, in part due to late-stage diagnoses, making the cancer more challenging to treat, as mentioned in the American Cancer Society report.
The national survival rate for lung cancer has escalated by more than 5 percentage points, rising from 21.7 to 26.6 percent over the past five years, revealed Zach Jump, the national senior director of epidemiology, statistics and research at the American Lung Association.
Experts assert that targeted immunotherapies, treatments that enhance the immune system to combat cancer cells, have significantly contributed to the overall progress. Improved accessibility to lung cancer screenings, increased awareness of the disease, and patients’ heightened willingness to discuss lung cancer with their healthcare providers also play a role.
