New Survey: Most Americans Don’t Know About Lifesaving Lung Cancer Screening

Survey data released today show that only 36% of people know that lung cancer screening is available and 29% know that lung cancer is the leading cancer killer of woman and men. Today, the American Lung Association’s LUNG FORCE initiative released the 2021 Lung Health Barometer, a new national survey that examines awareness, attitudes and beliefs about lung health and lung cancer.

“While lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., the five-year survival rate has increased 33% in the past 10 years thanks to advancements in treatment, research and lifesaving lung cancer screening,” said Harold Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association. “Although only 29% of survey respondents knew that lung cancer was the leading cancer killer of both women and men, this number represents an 8% increase from the 2020 Barometer. This data is being released during November for Lung Cancer Awareness Month; however, the Lung Association works to defeat this deadly disease year-round.”

The 2021 Lung Health Barometer surveyed 4,000 Americans nationwide about lung health and lung cancer. Some key findings show that:

• 29% of Americans know that lung cancer is the leading cancer killer of women and men, which is an 8% increase from the 2020 Lung Health Barometer.
• Although lung cancer is the leading cancer killer of women and men, only 10% of adults understand that lung cancer is among the most likely cancers to affect women while 35% know that it was among those likely to affect men.
• Only 36% of respondents know that lung cancer screening is now available for early detection of the disease.

See more Lung Health Barometer survey results here.

“More people are surviving lung cancer than ever before, but despite this progress, this survey indicates there’s more work to be done to raise awareness and understanding of lung cancer,” said Wimmer. “Greater awareness of lung cancer is key to marshaling research funding, encouraging lung cancer screening, and reducing stigma around this disease.”

This is the sixth year of the Lung Health Barometer, which is conducted by the Lung Association’s LUNG FORCE initiative. LUNG FORCE unites the nation to stand together for lung health and against lung cancer.

Throughout Lung Cancer Awareness Month, the Lung Association will be sharing new resources, the State of Lung Cancer Report (November 16), inspiring patient stories and lifesaving lung cancer screening information. Through the Lung Association’s Lung Cancer Patient Meetup on the Go program, the organization is offering several webinars and plans to share recordings of the webinars in November. Learn more at www.lung.org/patient-meetup.

For media interested in scheduling an interview with a lung cancer expert, contact Jill Dale at 312-940-7001 or [email protected].