Breath of Honor: Lung Cancer Screening for Veterans
US Military and Veterans are at a heightened risk for lung cancer. During their service, they may have been exposed to asbestos, burn pits, and other occupational hazards. Each year, nearly 8,000 veterans are diagnosed with lung cancer, but one and a half million are eligible for low-dose CT scans that can help spot lung cancer earlier.
Why is Lung Cancer Screening Important for Vets?
Veteran and lung cancer patient/advocate, Jim Pantelas says, “What I would tell vets is that if you're breathing, you can get lung cancer. Getting screened is a no-brainer.” Jim has been #LivingWithLungCancer for 18 years.
Dr. Drew Moghanaki, a radiation oncologist at UCLA Health and Staff Physician at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, says, “Lung screening in many ways is a win-win for all. The patient wins because their cancer is smaller, it's more curable, the treatments are much less toxic.”
Of the nine million veterans who receive VA Healthcare, an estimated 1.5 million of them meet the criteria to be screened for lung cancer:
1. Between the ages of 50 and 80
2. Have at least a 20 pack-year history of smoking
3. Currently smoke or quit within the last 15 years
It used to be difficult for VA to provide timely care to all of the veterans for a variety of reasons, not just volume, but also a lot of veterans live really in far away places and there's scheduling challenges.
Congress has authorized appropriations for VA to purchase care in the community whenever it can't meet its needs. So at this point, there is no reason why the VA under its congressional authorizations can't screen all of these veterans.
A Veteran’s Personal Experience
Jim Pantelas, a Navy Veteran, has been living with lung cancer for 18 years. He is very well aware of the increased risks for lung cancer for Veterans and is a avid advocate for lung cancer screening for Vets.
Jim says, “I was diagnosed with a non-small cell lung cancer, and I was a heavy smoker for many years, but had quit before I was diagnosed. I had quit a couple of years before I was diagnosed. But the reality is that I was also exposed to asbestos while I was in the service. I live in a part of the country that has higher than average rates of radon. What I would tell vets is that if you're breathing, you can get lung cancer. If you increase the odds of getting lung cancer, which smoking does, then you should be screened. But because you were in the service, you were exposed to toxins, because you were in the service, you were exposed to living in different parts of the country or the world that may have had toxins that you're not aware of. Getting screened is a no-brainer.”
Is Getting Screened ‘Worth it?’
A lot of Vets express the feeling that they feel like they're living on borrowed time. They saw people get blown up, even though they survived and came back from the fields of battle. A lot of people in their squad died from Gulf War syndrome and other ailments that still elude specialists.
There’s an idea that they're just grateful to be alive. The bar is a little bit higher to convince them to accept that getting screened for lung cancer could be their ticket to also finding a cure for their lung cancer - or at least effective treatments.
.
If lung cancer is caught when it just pops up, it can be removed surgically. If things go well, the patient goes home the next day. Cured. No more treatment needed.
Dr. Moghanaki says, "It's really an amazing opportunity to be a part of getting us to a day where no one dies of lung cancer, which I think will happen."
What Questions Should You Asked if You’ve Been Diagnosed?
If someone is diagnosed with lung cancer, what should they be asking? What do they need to know?
1. What kind of lung cancer do I have?
2. Can this be treated?
3. Who treats my kind of lung cancer?
4. Should it be treated?
5. And how would it be treated?
6. What is the goal of this treatment?
-------
Visit our website:
https://www.lcfamerica.org/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/lungcancerfoundation
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/lcfamerica
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/lcfamerica/
Tik Tok
https://www.tiktok.com/@lungcancerfoundation
-
Category
No comments found