American Lung Association’s ‘Saved by the Scan’ campaign marks significant milestone, celebrates lives saved by lung cancer screening
CHICAGO, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The American Lung Association today announced it reached an important milestone in the efforts to end lung cancer. As a part of the “Saved by the Scan” campaign, more than one million people, 1,051,303 as of April 2023, have completed an online quiz to determine if they are eligible for lifesaving lung cancer screening. Twenty-five percent of those who have taken the quiz since the campaign’s inception were found to be high-risk for lung cancer and eligible for screening.
The American Lung Association partnered with the Ad Council to launch “Saved by The Scan” in 2017 to educate people about lifesaving lung cancer screening and encourage them to take a 2-minute quiz to see if they are eligible. Surveys show that the campaign has made a difference in encouraging people to take the first steps towards their lung health journey. Prior to when the campaign first launched in 2017, only 26% of people who used to smoke talked to their doctor about the scan and 18% got scanned. In 2022, on average 35% of people who used to smoke had talked to their doctor about lung cancer screening and 28% had gotten scanned.
“This campaign has been life-changing for so many people at high risk for lung cancer,” said Harold Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association. “We are so proud of this work, done in collaboration with the Ad Council, and are grateful for the stories from those who were encouraged to take the quiz by this campaign, got scanned and were able to get an early diagnosis of lung cancer, at the stage where it is more curable.”
This campaign has already saved lives, including Diane Wright, who saw a “Saved by the Scan” billboard while driving and it stuck with her. A few months later, Wright mentioned the billboard to her doctor, and they scheduled a lung cancer screening.
“I am a stage one success story, something the oncologist said he doesn’t see often,” said Wright. “If I had not acted on getting the lung scan done, I would not have known that lung cancer was growing in my body since I had absolutely no symptoms. I will forever be grateful to that billboard.”
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. Lung cancer screening is key to early diagnosis, and early diagnosis saves lives. Currently, 14.2 million Americans meet the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines for screening, unfortunately, less than 6% of those at high risk have been screened. Under the USPSTF guidelines, a person is eligible for lung cancer screening if they are between 50-80 years of age, have a 20 pack-year smoking history (1 pack/day for 20 years, 2 packs/day for 10 years), and currently smoke, or have quit within the last 15 years.
Learn more about the campaign and find out if you are eligible for lung cancer screening at SavedByTheScan.org.
About the American Lung Association
The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research. The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic imperatives: to defeat lung cancer; to champion clean air for all; to improve the quality of life for those with lung disease and their families; and to create a tobacco-free future. For more information about the American Lung Association, which has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and is a Platinum-Level GuideStar Member, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) or visit: Lung.org.
American Lung Association • 55 W. Wacker Drive, Suite 1150 • Chicago, IL 60601
1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Ste. 1425 North • Washington, D.C. 20004
1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872) Lung.org
CONTACT: Jill Dale | American Lung Association
P: 312-940-7001 C: 720-438-8289 E: [email protected]
SOURCE American Lung Association
