Pushing back Against Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Mississippi and the United States.

For 2024, it is estimated that there will be 2,800 new lung cancer diagnoses with 1,600 deaths related to lung cancer in Mississippi.

Lung cancer survival rates are directly driven by the cancer stage at the time of diagnosis. Localized lung cancer has survival rates that are above 60% at five years. However, for regionally spread lung cancer, the five-year survival rate drops to 35%, and for metastatic lung cancer, the rate drops to less than 7%.

In the last 10 years, we have made significant advances in early detection and diagnosis of this disease. A national push to establish and improve screening for lung cancer with low-dose chest CTs has made significant, positive impact on mortality.

A 2020 study showed a 24% reduction of mortality in men and a 33% reduction of mortality in women 10 years after diagnosis. By proactively screening, we are diagnosing lung cancer at a much earlier stage, which gives more curative treatment options.

Mammograms have improved survival rates for breast cancer in America over the past two decades. Low dose chest CT has the potential to do the same for lung cancer.

Making a Difference Here

Early detection of lung cancer improves outcomes and survival rates. We instituted a lung cancer screening program at North Mississippi Health Services more than 10 years ago and have been able to grow the number of screening procedures and early cancer diagnoses every single year.

We are now screening more than 3,000 individuals each year and are diagnosing 50-60 new cases of lung cancer per year. Of cancers found through screening, 70% were diagnosed in the early stages (stages 1 and 2), which we have been able to treat with intent to cure. Historically, most lung tumors has been diagnosed as late stage disease (stages 3 and 4) when the cancer has spread beyond the lungs.

The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening yearly with a low-dose CT for individuals between the ages of 50 and 80, a smoking history of 20 pack-years or more and who have been active smokers within the last 15 years. The screening is recommended in this population provided they do not have symptoms of lung cancer.

For those who do have symptoms of lung cancer, like coughing up blood, the recommendation is to proceed to a formal workup including a contrasted full dose CT scan of the chest.

Take Action

In Mississippi, we are still only screening about 5% of potentially eligible patients; the national rate is 13.8%. We need to talk about lung cancer screening at every opportunity. Every single provider-patient interaction presents us with an invaluable opporutnity to screen, if appropriate, because detecting susupicious lung nodules is paramount. The early diagnosis of lung cancer has been enhanced by new modalities that are safe and effective at diagnosing very small lesions so we can do less of a watchful waiting approach and more of a tissue diagnosis with earlier answers.

At North Mississippi Medical Center, we now have access to state-of-the-art technology that allows us to diagnose lung cancer and identify the stage of the tumor in a safe, minimally invasive and effective way. Our robotic bronchoscopy platform allows us to do biopsies with 98% diagnostic success and less than a 1% complication rate. 

Treating lung cancer in its early stages generally leads to fewer complications and side effects, helping maintain a better quality of life during and after treatment. If you or your loved one meets the screening criteria, please have a discussion with your health care provider. You could be saving a life.

With increased screening and advances in treatment, we are changing the course of lung cancer