Lung cancer survival rates continue to increase, according to a new report from the American Lung Association.
While it’s estimated that 840 Delaware residents will be diagnosed with this disease in 2019 alone, more people than ever are surviving the disease according to the new report.
The annual “State of Lung Cancer” report outlines steps every state can take to better protect its residents from the disease.
The nationwide five-year lung cancer survival rate of 21.7 percent, up from 17.2 percent a decade ago, a 26 percent improvement over the past 10 years. In Delaware, the survival rate is about average at 21.6 percent while the new case rate is higher than average in the nation with an incident rate of 69.9 per 100,000 people.
“While we celebrate that more Americans than ever are surviving lung cancer, the disease remains the leading cause of cancer deaths, and much more can and must be done in Delaware to prevent the disease and support families facing the disease,” said Deborah Brown, chief mission officer, American Lung Association.
Part of the reason that lung cancer is so deadly is that most lung cancer cases are diagnosed at a later stage after the disease has spread.
Lung cancer screening is the key to early detection when the disease is most curable, but only 21.5 percent of lung cancer cases nationally are diagnosed at an early stage. While this simple screening test has been available since 2015, only 5.5 percent of those eligible in Delaware have been screened in 2018.
“This simple test―lung cancer screening― is a powerful tool to save lives,” said Brown. “Yet we’re only seeing a fraction of those who qualify actually getting screened. We’re pushing for greater awareness of this test to save more lives here in Delaware.”
The “State of Lung Cancer” 2019 report finds that the burden of lung cancer varies on a state by state basis. Below are the key findings for Delaware:
- New cases: More than 228,000 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year with the rate of new cases varying by state. The report finds that Utah has the nation’s lowest lung cancer rate while Kentucky has the highest. Delaware has a higher than average incidence rate of 69.9 per 100,000 people.
- Survival: Lung cancer has one of the lowest five-year survival rates because cases are often diagnosed at later stages when it is less likely to be curable. Delaware ranks among the average with 21.6 percent of cases surviving five years after diagnosis..
- Early Diagnosis: Nationally, only 21.5 percent of cases are diagnosed at an early stage when the five-year survival rate is much higher (57.7 percent). Unfortunately, about 48.5 percent of cases are not caught until a late stage when the survival rate is only 6 percent. Delaware ranks among the highest with 24.6 percent of cases diagnosed at an early stage.
- Surgical Treatment: Lung cancer can often be treated with surgery if it is diagnosed at an early stage and has not spread widely. Nationally, 20.6 percent of cases underwent surgery. Delaware ranks below average with only 18.8 percent of cases undergoing surgery as part of their first course of treatment.
- Lack of Treatment: Nationally, about 15.4 percent of cases receive no treatment. Delaware ranks average with 15 percent of cases receiving no treatment after being diagnosed.
- Screening and Prevention: Screening for lung cancer with annual low-dose CT scans among those who qualify can reduce the lung cancer death rate by up to 20%. Nationally, only 4.2 percent of those who qualify were screened. Delaware ranked among the average with 5.5 percent of those at high risk receiving screening in 2018.
Further information on “State of Lung Cancer” is available at Lung.org/solc.
