Almost four years after revealing his Stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis, WTOP reporter Neal Augenstein recently took a new and highly sensitive blood test that can provide valuable information to patients and their doctors.
Neal was diagnosed with lung cancer in November 2022. Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., accounting for 1 in 5 of all cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society.
According to the American Lung Association’s annual “State of Lung Cancer” report, the national five-year survival rate for lung cancer has increased 26% over the past five years, reaching 29.7%.
Ongoing clinical trials are evaluating the role of minimal residual disease (MRD) testing, to track whether any remnants of a patient’s tumor remain in their blood after surgery and other treatments.
Neal shared his results with WTOP morning anchors John Aaron and Kristen Diaz Wednesday.
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