Merck is a paid sponsor of The Morning Blend
Americans delayed visits for routine medical care due to the pandemic. As a result, important tests, like lung cancer screenings, went down by more than 50% from the previous year.
In preperation for Lung Cancer Awareness Month, Annabelle Gurwitch, New York Times best-selling author and activist living with lung cancer and Kim Norris, President and Co-Founder of Lung Cancer Foundation of America (LCFA), patient advocate and caregiver talk about how COVID-19 has impacted routine doctor’s appointments and important tests, like lung cancer screenings, over the past year and a half. They also explain why it is important to bring awareness to this topic during LCAM, and talk about what else is the advocacy community is doing to address this issue.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women in the U.S., making up almost 25% of all cancer deaths.
- Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined.
- When lung cancer is found early, the five-year survival rate is nearly 60%, which means more than half of people live for at least five-years. But when it is found late, the five-year survival rate drops to only 6%.
- While anyone can get lung cancer, your risk goes up if you are over 50 years old and:
- Currently smoke or smoked in the past
- Have been around secondhand smoke
- Have a family history of the disease, such as a parent or sibling
*The above list does not include all risk factors for lung cancer.
For more information visit: www.Merck.com
