Smoking rates still high in state
The five-year survival rate for lung cancer increased by 13% in the last five years, to 22.6%, thanks largely to increased treatment options and a push for early screening, according to an annual report by the American Lung Association.
Still, many smokers or former smokers do not have lung-cancer screenings, which means many cases are not diagnosed in the early stages. Only 23% of cases are caught in early stages, when the five-year survival rate is 59%.
Ohio continues to struggle with high smoking rates, according to the report.
“Obviously, all states have work to do to get these rates better, but definitely Ohio is above average in some of those categories that we don't want it to be,” ALA advocacy director Ken Fletcher said.
The report found that 20.5% of Ohioans smoke, well above the national rate of 15.5% and at a higher rate than all but six states. West Virginia had the highest rate at 25.3%. In addition, the rate of new lung cancer cases was 68.2 per 100,000 residents, well above the national rate of 58.7
Smoking accounts for 80% to 90% of lung cancer cases.
Ohioans must change the tide by pursuing changes individually, and in terms of public policy by using measures such as raising the cigarette tax, banning flavored cigarettes and putting money toward tobacco cessation and prevention programs, Fletcher said.
He said radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, occurs at high levels in some areas of Ohio. Everyone should test their homes every few years for radon to ensure that they aren't at risk of exposure.
Air quality also is a factor in Ohio's poor ranking, because some areas of Ohio have unhealthy levels of ozone pollution. Franklin County was given a grade of F for the number of high ozone days measured in 2019 in the ALA'S 2020 report on air quality.
Early detection of lung cancer can reduce the death rate by 20%. Still, in 2019 only 5.7% of Americans at high risk were screened. Ohio was ranked 36th for early diagnosis of lung cancer in the report.
For the first time, the Lung Association delved into how lung cancer disproportionally burdens communities of color.
The report found that Black Americans are 16% less likely than white Americans to be diagnosed early, 19% less likely to receive surgical treatment and 7% more likely to not have any treatment at all.
In Ohio, the rate of lung cancer in the
Black community was 78.1 per 100,000 people, significantly higher than rate of 61.1 nationally and 68.8 among white Ohioans.
“I think there needs to be a look at systemic racism all across the board and in every area,” Fletcher said. “We did find that the Black community isn't necessarily getting the access to the surgical treatment that they need. We don't know exactly why that is, but we can start trying to look at and see what we could do to change those numbers.”
Though more Americans than ever are surviving lung cancer, still more people die annually of lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined, according to the American Cancer Society. Escottmoran@gannett.com @emmascottmoran