Statewide Iowa — A new report from the American Lung Association shows Iowa has one of the lowest survival rates for lung cancer in the country.
The association found 19 percent of lung cancer patients survived five years after their initial diagnosis. That’s more than three-and-a-half percent worse than the national average. Alyssa DePhillips is a spokeswoman for the American Lung Association.
Lung cancer is often diagnosed at later stages of the disease when surgery is not an option.
The American Lung Association is recommending that Americans over the age of 55 who are current tobacco users or who have quit in the past 15 years get their lungs scanned to check for cancer.
Iowa’s lung cancer rate is impacted by radon levels, too.
Less than one percent of lung cancer cases in Iowa are linked to poor air quality or exposure to pollution. This is the second year the American Lung Association has issued its “State of Cancer” report.
