On November 18th, 2022, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf released a video message recognizing November as Lung Cancer Awareness Month and discussing the importance of the early detection of lung cancer through lung cancer screening. Governor Wolf also highlighted the work that the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative is doing to help high-risk individuals get screened for lung cancer.

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Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is an evidence-based approach to save lives from lung cancer that is pain-free, fast, and covered by most private insurance and Medicare. Lung cancer screening with LDCT has previously been shown in two large-scale randomized trials published in the New England Journal of Medicine to significantly reduce lung cancer mortality by up to 33%.    However, only 8% of individuals eligible for lung cancer screening in Pennsylvania and 6% of individuals eligible for lung cancer screening nationally are currently getting screened for lung cancer.

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Governor Wolf’s support of lung cancer screening represents a significant step forward to increase awareness of lung cancer screening. Since lung cancer screening with LDCT was first recommended by the United States Preventative Services Task Force in December 2013, there has been limited support and resources for lung cancer screening at the local, state, and national levels. The steps Governor Wolf is taking to increase awareness of lung cancer screening in Pennsylvania are key to increasing the percentage of high-risk individuals who undergo lung cancer screening.

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The American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative is working with Governor Wolf to increase the percentage of high-risk individuals who undergo lung cancer screening in Pennsylvania. We are deeply grateful for Governor Wolf’s support of lung cancer screening and are hopeful that his leadership in this area will help more high-risk individuals get screened for lung cancer in Pennsylvania and beyond. You can see Governor Wolf’s video message here.

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Additionally, the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative is committed to working with communities across all 50 states to achieve more widespread awareness of and access to lung cancer screening. We urge community leaders at the local, state, and national levels to join us in raising awareness for lung cancer screening and helping high-risk community members get screened for lung cancer.

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About the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative:
The American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative is a 501(c)3 non-profit working to increase awareness of lung cancer screening and help individuals at high risk for lung cancer get screened. The work of the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative focuses on teaching communities and healthcare providers about the importance of the early detection of lung cancer through screening and working with leaders at the local, state, and national levels to increase awareness of and access to lung cancer screening. To learn more about the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative and support the work they are doing, visit www.alcsi.org or follow them on Twitter @AmLungCSI, Facebook @americanlungcancerscreeninginitiative, or Instagram @amlungcsi. If you’re interested in working with the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative to increase awareness of lung cancer and lung cancer screening in your community, email info@alcsi.org.

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REFERENCES
1. de Koning HJ, van der Aalst CM, de Jong PA, et al. Reduced Lung-Cancer Mortality with Volume CT Screening in a Randomized Trial. New England Journal of Medicine 2020;382(6):503-513. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1911793.
2. Reduced Lung-Cancer Mortality with Low-Dose Computed Tomographic Screening. New England Journal of Medicine 2011;365(5):395-409. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1102873.
3. American Lung Association. State of Lung Cancer, 2020.