November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and officials in the Commonwealth want to stress the importance of lung health to all Kentuckians. Recently Kentucky was the only state in the nation to get a perfect score from an assessment by the nonprofit organization GO2.
Governor Andy Beshear announced the perfect score reflects the commitment of Kentucky’s health care professionals and the work they do. He added several trends in data show that outlooks for lung cancer patients are improving in the state.
“Over the past five years Kentucky lung cancer survival rate has increased by 30%,” said Beshear. “That means more of our loved ones are here to spend more time with our families and that’s something we should be very proud of.”
Beshear said while the outlooks for people with lung cancer are improving, there is still a way to go. He added one way people can protect themselves from lung cancer is by visiting a medical professional for screening.
“When we catch lung cancer early, we can treat it and get folks back to the things that matter because an early diagnosis increases the odds of a successful treatment. If you think you could be at risk for lung cancer. We encourage you to talk to a healthcare provider,” said Beshear.
More information on the fight against lung cancer can be found at go2.org.