Lung Cancer Kills: The Critical Importance of Early Detection

According to the National Cancer Center, over 230,000 new lung cancer cases are diagnosed annually in the U.S., with approximately one in 16 people expected to face a lung cancer diagnosis during their lifetime. Among these cases, 85% are classified as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), while the remaining 15% are small cell lung cancer (SCLC), which is strongly linked to smoking.

The timing of diagnosis is crucial in determining a patient’s survivability and is directly tied to how advanced the disease is when detected. Early-stage detection can increase the five-year survival rate to 63%, according to the Lung Cancer Association. Unfortunately, only 26.6% of cases are caught in early stages. In contrast, 44% of cases are diagnosed at a late stage, causing the survival rate to plummet to just 8%.

Financially, early detection can also dramatically lower treatment costs. Stage I lung cancer costs an average of $7,000 per month to treat, whereas late-stage lung cancer (Stage IV) triples the cost to around $21,000 per month. This stark difference in cost is driven by the more intense and frequent hospital visits, treatments, and interventions needed for advanced stages.

Despite these grim realities, there is good news: lung cancer diagnoses and deaths are both on the decline. Between 2006 and 2016, deaths from the most common form of lung cancer among U.S. men fell by more than 6% annually. This improvement can be attributed to a combination of better prevention, more effective treatments (such as new immunotherapies and targeted antibodies), and enhanced screening technologies.

However, with 44% of lung cancer diagnoses still being caught too late, there is more work to be done to ensure early detection becomes the norm. A combination of public awareness, advanced screening technologies, and updated screening guidelines will help ensure that more lives are saved, and fewer people endure the high costs of late-stage cancer care.

Here at Noah Medical, we are committed to growing the reach and effectiveness of the Galaxy System as part of this effort. With its proprietary TiLT⁺ ™ technology, physicians can use the Galaxy System to find and biopsy even tiny nodules in the outer periphery of the lung. Designed to be safer, more cost-effective, and able to be used in smaller physical areas than other systems, the Galaxy System can be used by more health facilities around the country so that more people have access to this potentially lifesaving technology.