American Lung Association Releases Annual 'State of Lung Cancer' Report
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Dec. 2, 2024 -- 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."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted December 2024
Read this next
Risk for Death, MACE Increased for Patients With Adult-Onset Type 1 Diabetes
FRIDAY, May 16, 2025 -- Adult-onset type 1 diabetes (T1D) is associated with an increased risk for death and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), according to a study...
Audiologist-Fitted Hearing Aids Outperform Over-the-Counter Ones
FRIDAY, May 16, 2025 -- Over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids (HAs), in which audiologists provide limited services, are effective, but do not achieve the same outcomes as HAs...
Medicaid Unwinding Linked to Disruption of Chronic Medication Therapy in Youth
FRIDAY, May 16, 2025 -- In young patients, especially young adults, Medicaid unwinding associated with the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted chronic medication therapy, according to a...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.