Editor’s note: November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Lung cancer is the No. 1 leading cause of fatal cancer in men and women, taking more lives than prostate, breast or colon cancer combined each year. But it’s rarely on people’s radar screen.
In this guest column, the CEO of the American Lung Association of the Mountain Pacific highlights the case of longtime Poulsbo resident Gwynne Cleveland and her ongoing battle with lung cancer.
By RENEE KLEIN
American Lung Association of the Mountain Pacific
Imagine going in to the doctor for a lingering cough and leaving with a diagnosis of lung cancer.
That was Poulsbo resident Gwynne Cleveland’s nightmare in 2013, and the news only got worse. Her cancer was Stage IV, had metastasized to her brain and spine, and was considered inoperable.
As a lifelong non-smoker who took pride in her Pacific Northwest active and healthy lifestyle, the diagnosis came as a shock. She quickly learned that lung cancer isn’t a “smoker’s disease.” It can afflict anyone, young adults to the elderly, smokers and non, men and women.
In fact, lung cancer is the No. 1 cancer killer of men and women and takes more lives than breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer combined. Its five-year survival rates are dismal; just 4 percent for the unlucky patients — the majority — diagnosed after the cancer has metastasized to other parts of the body.
For those who find the cancer in its early stages, five-year survival shoots up past 50 percent, and our goal now is to raise awareness — the kind of awareness that gets high-risk people screened today, before they have Stage IV cancer and limited options.
Gwynne is living proof that treating cancer can be a full-time job — exhaustive research, debilitating treatments that wiped out her energy, numerous trips to the hospital to try different chemo treatments and relieve side effects — and her progress has had its up and downs.
In September 2013, the tumor in her brain expanded, necessitating emergency surgery that temporarily caused her to lose the use of the left side of her body. Last Christmas brought the good news of no cancer cells found in fluid drained from her lung, yet this past May it was determined her cancer had spread to her liver. A clinical trial in Boston proved ineffective, and she’s back in Poulsbo now: researching, waiting, hoping.
Gwynne’s advice to others living with lung cancer is to be your best advocate. Your doctor is there to guide you, but ultimately it’s up to each patient to follow her instincts, research the treatments and not take “no” for an answer.
At the American Lung Association, our LUNG FORCE movement is raising awareness and crucial funds to support research into cures, increasing awareness of early detection tools like CT screening, and providing support to patients to help them navigate the medical system and receive the best care possible.
“To anyone out there — woman or man — don’t think for one second that you’re not at risk for lung cancer,” Gwynne says. “This can happen to anyone. If you think something’s wrong, go to your doctor and get it checked out. The earlier you find the disease, the easier it is to conquer.”
The American Lung Association has developed a quick quiz to help people determine if they qualify as high-risk and should seek out early detection. Visit www.lungcancerscreeningsaveslives.org and in under a minute you’ll see where you stand.
We know more about lung cancer than ever before and, with advanced tumor testing and research into targeted therapies, there is real hope on the horizon. We also know that less than one-third of patients diagnosed with lung cancer are smokers — the other two-thirds have already quit or never touched a tobacco product in their life.
You do not need to have smoked to get lung cancer. You just need a pair of lungs.
