The Turquoise Takeover that spanned New Jersey from May 5-11 shined a spotlight on lung cancer awareness. Known as Lung Cancer Action Week, the event was designed to help raise awareness about lung cancer, honor people affected by the disease and encourage action to help end it.
Triad1828 Centre (Camden), Bell Works Water Tower (Holmdel), Ten Exchange (Jersey City), Old Bridge Township (Old Bridge) and Scotch Plains Municipal Building (Scotch Plains) were all lit up in turquoise to mark this occasion developed by LUNG FORCE, an advocacy and research arm of the American Lung Association.
An estimated 5,420 New Jersey residents will be diagnosed with lung cancer and 2,670 will die from the disease in 2025 alone, according to the American Lung Association.
“Anyone can get lung cancer, and no one deserves to get lung cancer,” said Deb Brown, chief mission officer, American Lung Association.
Lung cancer screening increases through efforts like Turquoise Takeover, and that is a “big part” of why raising awareness is so important, Brown said. The American Lung Association provides a quiz for lung cancer screening. This screening eligibility quiz “will let you know if you should talk to your doctor about being screened for lung cancer via low-dose CT scan,” according to the American Lung Association.
Get screened – http://www.savedbythescan.org/ – is the link to the quiz. As with most cancers, early detection is important.
In addition to the screening eligibility quiz, being informed about risk factors is critical. “Tobacco use is one of many risk factors,” Brown said. “Multiple risk factors could have exposed someone to lung cancer.”
The American Lung Association recommends the following ways to minimize the risk of lung cancer:
- Don’t Smoke
- Avoid Exposure to Air Pollutants That Can Damage Your Lungs – Indoor Air Quality and Outdoor Air Quality
- Get Regular Check-ups
- Exercise
Efforts like the Lung Cancer Action Week are an important step in making strides towards improving survival rates. “The lung cancer five-year survival rate increased 44 percent over the last decade,” according to Brown. In addition, she added, 65 new treatments have been used since 2016.
The American Lung Association’s “State of Lung Cancer” report found the following rankings in New Jersey:
- 15 out of 49 in the nation for rate of new lung cancer cases at 49.6 per 100,000, which is a 10% improvement over past five years. The national rate is 53.6 per 100,000.
- 9 out of 47 in the nation for survival at 31.4%, which is among the better in the U.S. and marks a 21% improvement over past five years. The national rate of people alive five years after a lung cancer diagnosis is 28.4%.
- 18 out of 47 in the nation for early diagnosis at 28.2%. Nationally, only 27.4% of cases are diagnosed at an early stage when the survival rate is much higher.
- 9 out of 51 in the nation for lung cancer screening at 20.0%, and among the better in the U.S. Lung cancer screening with annual low-dose CT scans for those at high risk can reduce the lung cancer death rate by up to 20%. Nationally, only 16% of those at high risk were screened.
- 3 out of 47 in the nation for surgery at 25.8%, which is among the best in the nation. Lung cancer can often be treated with surgery if it is diagnosed at an early stage and has not spread. Nationally, 20.7% of cases underwent surgery.
For more information about state rankings, visit https://www.lung.org/research/state-of-lung-cancer.
During Lung Cancer Action Week, New Jerseyans were encouraged to take steps that can help those with lung cancer, like a local LUNG FORCE Walk or DIY Fundraiser. Residents were also urged to take the screening quiz and test their homes for radon.
There is a stigma attached to lung cancer that if a person smoked, he or she deserves the disease, Brown said. This can often make people feel unworthy of treatment. “When you talk to someone who has lung cancer, offer support and encourage them to learn,” Brown said.
For more information, visit the American Lung Association at https://www.lung.org/ or LUNG FORCE at https://www.lung.org/lung-force.
On September 20, New Jerseyans can participate in a LUNG FORCE Walk at Duke Island Park in Bridgewater. For more information, visit
https://www.lung.org/get-involved/events/find-an-event/dd630-lung-force-walk-bridgewater-nj.
