Lung Cancer Screening Day Likely Saved Northern New York Man’s Life

PLATTSBURGH, NY (11/7/2024) – For Woody Kissel of Champlain, last year’s National Lung Cancer Screening Day couldn’t have been more significant. The screening, held November 11, 2023 at University of Vermont Health Network — Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital’s (CVPH) Valcour Imaging, led to further testing and a diagnosis of stage three lung cancer. After receiving chemotherapy at University of Vermont Cancer Center, his scans this summer all came up negative.

“I’m 99% certain that screening saved my life,” says Kissel.

Nov. 9 Is National Lung Cancer Screening Day

Clinicians hope to identify more patients like Mr. Kissel – who showed no signs of lung cancer at the time of his first scan – at this year’s Lung Cancer Screening Day, to be held November 9 at clinical settings in Vermont and northern New York.

CVPH will again hold its event at CVPH Valcour Imaging in Plattsburgh, from 8 am-12 pm. All 16 slots for the event have been filled, but appointments are available weekly. Anyone interested can talk to their primary care physician or call (518) 562-7340 to learn more.

UVM Cancer Center is also holding a screening event on November 9. 47 people are schedule to be screened.

Northwestern Medical Center (802-524-1058) and Southwestern Vermont Medical Center are also participating in the National Lung Cancer Screening Day.

According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, anyone between the ages of 50 and 80 (77 for anyone with Medicare) who has smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 20 or more years, including those who quit 15 years ago or less, should be screened annually. Those unsure if they qualify can visit www.savedbythescan.org to take an online eligibility quiz from the American Lung Association. The CT scan is painless, takes only a few minutes and is covered by most insurance carriers.

"I recommend anyone who's eligible get the low dose CT scan for lung cancer,” says Mr. Kissel, who smoked on and off for several decades and was exposed to toxic fumes as part of his work. “If they catch it early, there’s a lot they can do. And that 10 or 15 minutes it takes may extend your life for a long time. I know it's giving me more time with the people I love."

UVM Cancer Center lung screenings up 32.9%, but few high-risk Vermonters are being screened

Screenings for lung cancer at UVM Cancer Center have increased by 32.9% over the past three years. To date 2,000 new patients have received first-time screens at UVMMC since January, 2020—a huge impact on overall rates.

But even with the positive trends lines, only 10% of high risk Vermonters are being screened, according to the most recent data from the American Lung Association.

That number is more than double the national average of 4.5% but still much too low, said Beth Zigmund, MD, director of UVM Cancer Center’s Lung Screening Program. In New York, 4.9% of those at high risk were screened, according to the report.

“The increase is very encouraging,” she says. “But we’re still screening far too few people. We need to continue to get the word out that lung screening is vitally important and can save lives.”

“The idea is to make this part of the routine like it is with mammograms and colonoscopies. Screening rates with breast and colon cancer are above 70% in the United States, which means a large number of folks are catching it early. Imagine how many more people we can give a better shot at surviving lung cancer if we can increase screening rates,” explains William Staub, PA-C, a Physician Assistant at CVPH.

Patients interested in screening are advised to meet with their primary care providers to discuss if it is the right option for them.

Late detection means more lung cancer deaths

The importance of lung screening is highlighted by the discrepancy between new lung cancer cases in Vermont and deaths caused by the disease.

While lung cancer accounts for 13% of new cancer cases in Vermont, it causes 35% of cancer deaths, making it the leading cause of cancer death in the state, according to the Vermont Department of Health’s most recent Vermont Cancer Data Pages report. According to the National Cancer Institute, Clinton County, NY is averaging about 50 lung cancer deaths a year.

If lung cancer is caught early via a screen, when it is confined to one spot, Vermonters have a five-year survival rate of 65%, compared with just 9% for patients whose cancer is caught late, after it has spread widely, according to the American Cancer Society.

"I'm just so grateful for the care I got. From the screening folks in Plattsburgh to the people who treated me in Burlington, they were all so positive," Mr. Kissel said.

The American Cancer Society and Vermonters Taking Action Against Cancer (VTAAC), Vermont’s statewide cancer coalition, are supporting participating sites in National Lung Cancer Screening Day and have created social media messaging encouraging patients to talk to their doctor about lung cancer screening. A coordinated communications campaign will continue throughout November, National Lung Cancer Awareness Month.