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HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  JAN / FEB 2024 27 guidelines can help the community change the way we discuss the disease and, in turn, reduce lung cancer stigma. 10 One of the best ways healthcare professionals can support their lung cancer patients is to connect them with resources that meet their needs. The LungAssociation has compiled resources for healthcare professionals to best support their patients, including information on lung cancer screening eligibility, treatment guidelines, smoking cessation programming, and more. 11 Bringing Lung Cancer into the Light There is hope. Lung cancer is not a death sentence. The Lung Association is hard at work funding important lung cancer research, educating about the progress that has beenmade due to advances in treatment and early detection, and sharing stories of hope from survivors. Healthcare providers in Louisiana can play their part in reducing the burden of lung cancer. Doubling down on lung cancer screenings is one part of the solution. Bringing lung cancer into the light by dispelling stigma is another. From a public policy level, anyone can join the LungAssociation’s efforts by urging Louisiana members of Congress to support H.R. 4286, the bipartisan IncreasingAccess to Lung Cancer Screening Act. Learn more at Lung.org/SOLC. Together, we can create a future free of lung cancer. n REFERENCES 1 Siegel, R.L.; Miller, K.D.; Wagle, N.S.; Jemal, A. “Cancer Statistics, 2023.” CA: A Cancer Jour- nal for Clinicians 73, issue 1 (January/February 2023): 17-48. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21763 2 American Lung Association. “State of Lung Cancer.” Accessed November 2023. https://www. lung.org/research/state-of-lung-cancer 3 American Lung Association. “State Data: Loui- siana.” Accessed November 2023. https://www. lung.org/research/state-of-lung-cancer/states/ louisiana 4 Americna Lung Association. “Lung Cancer Trends Brief: Additional Measures.” Accessed November 2023. https://www.lung.org/research/ trends-in-lung-disease/lung-cancer-trends- brief/lung-cancer-additional-measures 5 American Lung Association. “Lung Cancer Key Findings.” Accessed November 2023. https:// www.lung.org/research/state-of-lung-cancer/ key-findings 6 American Lung Association. “Lung Cancer Screening Q&A.” Accessed November 2023. https://www.lung.org/getmedia/97d650da- 7c8b-41f7-804f-b341d93ee732/2021ala_screen- ingqa.pdf 7 American Lung Association. “Saved By The Scan.” https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseas- es/lung-disease-lookup/lung-cancer/saved-by- the-scan 8 Chambers, S.K.; Dunn, J.; Occhipinti, S.; et al. “A systematic review of the impact of stigma and nihilism on lung cancer outcomes.” BMC Can- cer 12 (May 20, 2012): article 184. https://doi. org/10.1186/1471-2407-12-184 9 American Lung Association. “Addressing Lung Cancer Stigma.” Accessed November 2023. https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/ lung-disease-lookup/lung-cancer/living-with- lung-cancer/how-to-talk-about-your-cancer/ addressing-lung-cancer-stigma 10 Each Breath, A Blog by the American Lung As- sociation. “Making Lung Cancer Stigma a Thing of the Past.” March 26, 2017 (Last updated Aug. 30, 2023). https://www.lung.org/blog/making- lung-cancer-stigma-past 11 American Lung Association. “Lung Cancer Healthcare Professionals.” Accessed November 2023. https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseas- es/lung-disease-lookup/lung-cancer/healthcare- professionals As senior director of advocacy, Ashley Lyerly leads the American Lung Association’s advocacy activities on tobacco control, healthy air, and other lung health issues at state and local levels across the Southeast. She is an advocate on tobacco control, secondhand smoke, access to care, and healthy air issues and is the voice for lung disease patients in state legislatures. She previously served as a project facilitator for United Way of Central Alabama addressing tobacco control and prevention strategies. Additionally, she worked on financial stability issues with low- to moderate-income populations as the manager of workforce development and financial stability for United Way Worldwide. Lyerly holds a Bachelor of Arts in urban studies from Rhodes College and a Master of Public Administration from George Washington University. Ashley Lyerly Senior Director of Advocacy for Louisiana, American Lung Association Lung Cancer in Louisiana, by the Numbers 4 43 out of 47 in the nation for early diagnosis at 23.8%. Nationally, only 26.6% of cases are diagnosed at an early stage when the survival rate is much higher. 38 out of 51 in the nation for lung cancer screening at 2.7%. Lung can- cer screening with annual low-dose CT scans for those at high risk can reduce the lung cancer death rate by up to 20%. Nationally, only 4.5% of those at high risk were screened. 38 out of 48 in the nation for rate of new lung cancer cases at 61.8 per 100,000. The national rate is 54.6 per 100,000. 38 out of 42 in the nation for sur- vival at 22.1%. The national rate of people alive five years after a lung cancer diagnosis is 26.6%. 39 out of 47 in the nation for sur- gery at 16.8%. Lung cancer can often be treated with surgery if it is diagnosed at an early stage and has not spread. Nationally, 20.8% of cas- es underwent surgery. 38 out of 47 in the nation for lack of treatment at 23.1%. Nationally, 20.6% of cases receive no treatment. 46 out of 51 in the nation for smok- ing at 19.5%. Nationally, 13.5% of adults currently smoke.