NJ makes strides in boosting lung cancer survival

In past 5 years,state has seen 20% improvement

By: Scott Fallon
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... Lung cancer remains by far the biggest category of cancer deaths in New Jersey - as it is throughout the U.S. But the state is making strides in early diagnosis and survival of lung cancer, a new report released Tuesday [11/14/2023] shows.
..... New Jersey's rate of survival five years after a diagnosis is 29.9%, which ranks it eighth in the nation and represents a 20% improvement over the past five years, according to the American Lung Association's "state of Lung cancer" annual report. It also outpaced the national average for early diagnosis at 37.7%, compared with 26.6% nationally, which helps boost the survival rate.
..... "Thankfully, her in New Jersey, the lung cancer survival rate has improved because of increased awareness, unproved access to health care and cutting-edge research into new treatments for the disease," said Michael Seilback, the national assistant vice president for state public policy at the American Lung Association.
..... New Jersey has wide-ranging gaps in access to health care and health outcomes by race. An lung cancer is no different.
..... Black residents are 31% more likely not to receive any lung cancer treatment, 30% less likely to receive surgery as the first course of treatment and 26% less likely to be diagnosed early than white residents, according to the report.
..... But date from the state Department of Health shows that deaths from lung cancer among black New Jerseyans dropped significantly in the past 20 years and outpaced the decrease among white residents. About 26 black residents per 100,000 died from lung cancer in 2020, compared with 6.4 in 2000. White residents were at a higher are, with about 30 per 100,000 dying from lung cancer in 2020 compared with 56 in 2000.

Risk factors

..... The biggest risk for lung cancer is smoking, which is linked to about 80% to 90% of lung cancer deaths, says the U.S. centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
..... But there are other causes, including:
* Secondhand smoke.
* Radon, a naturally occurring, odorless gas that seeps into homes and other facilities from underground rocks, soil and water. Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer. It is responsible for 21,000 lung cancer deaths a year, says the U.S. Environmental Protection agency.
* Long-term inhalation of other substances, including asbestos, arsenic silica and Chromium. Arsenic and radon in drinking water can increase risk.
* Genetics can play a role if there is a history of lung cancer in the family.
* Cancer survivors who had radiation therapy to the chest are at higher risk.

Air quality and lung cancer

..... Air pollution increases lung cancer risks, especially exposure to diesel fumes.
..... But as in many states, New Jersey's air has gotten significantly better when it comes to diesel and the microscopic particles of burned material that can damage lungs. Levels have dropped for a number of reasons, including the retiring or retrofitting of old diesel engines on many of the trucks that use the I-95 corridor.
..... Every county in New Jersey received either an A or a B grade for particle pollution in this year's [2023] "State of the Air Report" by the American Lung Association. Those marks may go down, however, beginning in next year's [2024] report after historic amounts of particles polluted the region's air this spring and summer [2023] coming from massive wildfires in Canada.

HOME