November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and a newly released report
shows far too few Nebraskans at high risk for lung cancer are getting the recommended screening.

The American Lung Association's latest "State of Lung Cancer" report ranks Nebraska 33rd for lung cancer screening -- at less than 4% of those who are at risk.

Julia McCarville, executive director of the American Lung Association in Nebraska, said although lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths for both men and women, the nationwide outlook improved somewhat between 2015 and 2019.

"The five-year survival rate increased from 22% up to 26.6%, and additionally, we're seeing the survival rate increasing at a faster pace among communities of color, so it is no longer significantly lower compared to white individuals," McCarville said.

McCarville stressed that a low-dose CT scan can lead to an earlier diagnosis. And when lung cancer is caught at an early stage, it can increase one's chances of surviving five years by more than 60% . At Savedbythescan.org, people can assess their risk for lung cancer and their eligibility for a low-dose CT scan.

Some 10% to 20% of those diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked, and McCarville said anyone with concerning symptoms -- such as a lingering cough, chest pain, shortness of breath or frequent lung infections - should talk with their doctor about getting a low-dose CT scan.

Dr. Sumit Mukherjee, medical director of thoracic oncology for Methodist Health System, calls it a "huge missed opportunity" that so few people who are eligible are getting screened. He explained that screening should be done with a low-dose CT scan, not a chest X-ray.

"Because you just don't see these little spots in the lungs on chest X-rays, and by the time you can see them on X-ray, lung cancer becomes more advanced generally at that time," Mukherjee said.

Mukherjee added that part of the explanation for lung cancer being the leading cause of cancer deaths is the fact that it is often diagnosed at a late stage.

He said there is a movement to help women, especially those at high risk, become as accepting of regular screening for lung cancer as they are for breast cancer. More non-smoking women than non-smoking men are diagnosed with lung cancer.

"We all focus so much with women and breast cancer, and there is great screening and education behind breast cancer awareness and screening, and really more women die of lung cancer than breast cancer and colon cancer combined," Mukherjee said.

For those who do receive a diagnosis of lung cancer, Mukherjee added there are a number of better technologies and medications available now than in the past. However, he stressed that lung cancer is still a very deadly form of cancer that can have a profound impact on people's lives.

According to experts in the field, the system of developing new antibiotics is broken and doctors are running out of ways to treat deadly infections.

Lawmakers have proposed the PASTEUR Act to fix the pipeline. New antibiotics are critical but they must be used sparingly, which means private drug companies cannot recoup their investment.

David Hyun, director of the Antibiotic Resistance Project at the Pew Charitable Trusts, said the bill would establish a subscription model to fund research for certain drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

"It delinks their revenue from the volume of sales and provides an up-front payment to the companies purely based on the value of the public-health value of the new antibiotic," Hyun explained.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said patients in the U.S. contract 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections each year and more than 35,000 of them die. Experts estimate the U.S. spends $4.6 billion a year to treat infections caused by drug-resistant germs.

Dr. Sarah Doernberg, an infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the University of California-San Francisco, said the ability to treat infection dictates the safety of all kinds of medical procedures from giving birth to having surgery.

"We are able to operate ICUs and transplantation and give chemotherapy agent," Doernberg noted. "All of these things that we do that are very invasive and come with risks of infection, and we need to be able to treat the infections in order to be able to provide modern health care."

Despite bipartisan support, a similar bill failed to pass in 2021. Senate lawmakers reintroduced the PASTEUR Act in 2023 with reduced funding but it remains stalled in committee.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Routine blood draws during a doctor's visit can reveal disorders or diseases and as the number of patient caseloads inches upward as the population ages, the Hoosier State is facing a shortage of hematologists, the doctors who treat abnormal blood conditions.

It means patients may experience delayed access to treatment.

Dr. Mukul Singal, hematologist at the Indiana Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center in Indianapolis, believes hematologists need to be trained to break the cycle which draws many to only the study of hematology oncology, or blood cancer, after their initial hematology training.

"More and more medical students, and even more than medical students, internal medicine residents, need to be exposed to hematology clinics, to inpatient hematology," Singal contended. "Once they go there and they get exposure to that, it is something that draws people in."

Singal pointed out one way to meet the need is to increase the number of mentors. He added the American Society for Hematology has started 10 fellowship programs to train 50 hematologists over the next 10 years. Four years of medical school, three years of residency, and two to four years of fellowship for adult, pediatric hematology/oncology or pathology training are required to become a hematologist.

Singal argued bureaucrats and decision-makers should allocate more funding for mentoring as a path to increasing the number of hematologists per patient. Doing so would allow more time for patient-doctor engagement during appointments. Singul stressed the average physician spends just 15 to 20 minutes per patient.

"That sort of leeway has to be available to physicians, so they don't have the financial disincentive when they talk to patients, they spend time with patients," Singal emphasized. "That is something that is a little beyond me, but that needs to change as well."

Singal added hematology patients can expect 30 to 60 minutes on average for new patient appointments and longer to ask questions if a patient's condition is complex or if additional exams are needed right away. The Indiana Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center is the only federally recognized hemophilia treatment center in Indiana.

For 100 years, the American Heart Association has been dedicated to improving heart health and raising awareness about cardiovascular disease, yet a Harris Poll in 2023 revealed more than half of Americans still do not recognize heart disease as the nation's leading cause of death.

The ongoing challenge underscores the importance of cardiac rehabilitation programs, which help patients recover from heart-related events and learn preventive health practices.

Murphy, 100, a notable participant, recovered from a silent heart attack through cardiac rehabilitation at Novant Health, serving as an example of the effectiveness of programs like this in helping people reclaim their health.

"I'm trying to maintain my strength and that's why I continue coming here," Murphy explained.

American Heart Association data show strokes and heart diseases together account for more U.S. deaths than cancer and chronic respiratory diseases combined.

Jan Wagoner, director of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation for Novant Health, said cardiac rehabilitation offers patients a vital pathway to recovery by helping them regain a sense of control and wellness. She pointed out patients like Murphy get medically supervised exercise, nutritional guidance and a supportive community.

"He was one of the few blessed patients who had been active enough in his life and had good genetics that his heart had created its own bypasses," Wagoner noted. "We call that collateral circulation. And so he was in rehab, gaining strength, gaining knowledge, regaining that sense of control over his life, feeling like he was thriving again."

She stressed cardiac disease is increasingly affecting younger adults and the shifting demographic illustrates how lifestyle choices can have significant consequences later in life. Wagoner emphasized adopting healthy habits including regular exercise and a balanced diet can make a substantial difference in heart health over time and reduce the risk of heart-related events.

"This is a disease that doesn't choose an age anymore," Wagoner observed. "It used to be that people were in their 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, and then it's now in their 30s and 40s and we see it all across."

The American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 guidelines highlight simple steps for better heart health, focusing on two areas: healthy habits like eating well, staying active, quitting tobacco, and getting good sleep; and managing key health factors such as weight, cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure.


get more stories like this via email