Health awareness months focus public attention on specific health conditions, encouraging education and preventive action. These campaigns disseminate information about prevalence, risk factors, and screening options to the general population. By concentrating efforts over a set time, organizations mobilize resources for research funding and policy advocacy.
Confirming Lung Cancer Awareness Month
November is officially recognized as Lung Cancer Awareness Month (LCAM) in the United States and globally. This annual observance originated from a single Lung Cancer Awareness Day in 1995, launched by advocacy groups to engage the community in education. The effort expanded into a full month-long campaign in the early 2000s, coinciding with the American Cancer Society’s annual Great American Smokeout event.
The goal of LCAM is to increase public understanding of the disease, which remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. A focus is placed on reducing the historical stigma associated with lung cancer, particularly for those with a history of smoking. The campaign highlights that anyone with lungs can develop the disease, promoting empathy, support, and advancements in early detection and treatment.
Key Facts to Know During Awareness Month
Lung cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in the United States, yet it causes more deaths annually than breast, colon, and prostate cancers combined. While tobacco use is the primary risk factor, accounting for a majority of cases, between 10% and 20% of lung cancers occur in individuals who have never smoked. This highlights the influence of other environmental and genetic factors.
Radon gas is considered the second leading cause of lung cancer, responsible for thousands of deaths each year. This odorless, colorless gas naturally seeps into homes from the soil, emphasizing the importance of home testing and mitigation systems. Exposure to secondhand smoke also significantly raises the risk of developing lung cancer in non-smokers, increasing it by an estimated 20% to 30%.
Additional environmental and occupational hazards include exposure to carcinogens like asbestos, arsenic, chromium, and diesel exhaust. A family history of lung cancer also increases an individual’s susceptibility, suggesting an underlying genetic predisposition compounded by environmental exposures.
Promoting low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening is a major objective of LCAM because early detection significantly improves survival rates. Current guidelines recommend annual LDCT screening for adults aged 50 to 80 who have a 20 pack-year smoking history and either currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years. A pack-year is defined as smoking an average of one pack of cigarettes per day for one year.
LDCT screening is a non-invasive tool that can find small tumors before symptoms appear, when the cancer is most treatable. Individuals who meet the age and smoking history criteria should discuss the benefits and potential risks of annual LDCT with a healthcare provider. Screening stops once a person has been smoke-free for 15 years, reaches 81 years of age, or develops a health condition that would prevent curative treatment.
Ways to Participate and Support the Cause
The public can support lung cancer efforts by advocating for early detection discussions within their own families and communities. Encouraging high-risk loved ones to speak with their doctor about LDCT screening guidelines is a direct action that can save lives. This involves overcoming the reluctance some may feel due to the stigma surrounding the disease.
Individuals can contribute by supporting research and advocacy organizations through donations or volunteer work. Financial support often funds studies for new treatments, better screening methods, and policy changes that increase access to care. Some organizations also maintain a patient registry, where individuals can share their lung cancer history to contribute valuable data to researchers.
Another effective way to participate is by promoting accurate and reliable educational resources on social media platforms. Sharing facts about non-smoking risk factors, screening eligibility, and treatment advances helps dispel myths and fight the stigma. People can also lobby elected officials at the state and federal levels for policies that fund lung cancer research, increase the availability of screening, and reduce exposure to environmental toxins like radon.