A recent report by the American Lung Association found lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in D.C. and across the country.
But the American Lung Association’s “State of Lung Cancer” report also identified positive trends.
“With regards to the District and lung cancer, we actually are doing pretty well now,” said Dr. Bobby Mahajan, volunteer representative for the American Lung Association. “We’re really number four in the country in terms of identifying lung cancer screening areas and scanning people early.”
The “State of Lung Cancer” report also showed a 26% improvement in survival rates over the past five years in its key findings. However, the current survival rate stands at 28.4%.
The District also ranked 9th in the country for new lung cancer cases.
“We’re identifying them early, and we’re getting to a point where we’re actually doing well with reducing the number of new lung cancer cases occurring,” said Mahajan.
Mahajan said that shows the impact of laws and interventions to reduce smoking in public areas and the number of places that can screen for lung cancer.
The report also examined health insurance coverage requirements and pointed out a gap in access to advanced diagnostic tools such as biomarker testing; the testing that analyzes tumor DNA to guide treatment decisions isn’t consistent covered by insurance.
The association urged D.C. to implement policies to increase this testing by putting in place requirements for comprehensive coverage.
“If we capture lung cancers in their very earliest stages, the five-year survival is close to 92%, meaning that you’re able to cure those lung cancers. So in D.C., by continuing to find these lung cancers, early survival rates will improve, and honestly, death related to lung cancer will continue to plummet,” said Mahajan.
The report also looked at disparities in health care. It found Black people in D.C. are more likely than their white counterparts to be diagnosed. But it also showed only 17% of Black people opt for surgery, as compared to 21% of white people.
“We need to be able to provide better basic health care to individuals with issues related to menthol cigarettes, which typically, in the past, have targeted African American individuals,” said Mahajan. “And also these need to be diagnosed at an earlier stage, meaning, because Black individuals tend to have, unfortunately, lower incidence of preventive care.”
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