Respiratory health associations encourage early screening awareness and access for World Lung Cancer Day
the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), of which Pan African Thoracic Society is a founding member, stresses the importance of early screening awareness and access to diagnose and treat lung cancer.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), lung cancer kills more people yearly than breast, colon, and prostate cancers combined, and there are 2.1 million lung cancer cases worldwide. The risk of death can be drastically reduced through early detection of cancer and appropriate treatment.
“World Lung Cancer Day is an opportunity for the members of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies to advocate for access to early lung cancer screening for qualifying patients,” says M. Patricia Rivera, M.D., current President of FIRS. “Through early detection, we can make a global impact on lung cancer and its associated mortality.”
To identify and diagnose lung cancer in its earlier stages, it is recommended to seek lung cancer screening with a low-dose computed tomography (also known as low-dose CT or LDCT). If the individual is currently smoking or formerly smoked, lung cancer screening is recommended.
Read the full statement here