Drew Moghanaki, Professor, Chief of Thoracic Oncology at the Department of Radiation Oncology and Stanley Iezman and Nancy Stark Endowed Chair in Thoracic Radiation Oncology Research at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and Chief Medical Officer of Respirati, shared a post by Simar Bajaj, Fellow at The New York Times on X, adding:
”The latest statistics show that among those diagnosed with metastatic (stage IV) lung cancer:
- 1/3 never see an oncologist,
- 1/2 never get any tx,
- 40% die within 3 months.”
Quoting Simar Bajaj’s post:
”Half of patients with Stage IV lung cancer don’t receive any life-extending treatments. For The New York Times, I explored this sobering statistic and why so many people with the nation’s deadliest cancer go without care.
According to a new JAMA Oncology study of 250,000+ Medicare patients:
- 1/3 of patients never see an oncologist.
- Rural, unmarried, and minority populations were the least likely to be treated.
- 40% die within 3 months of diagnosis, suggesting that many patients are diagnosed far too late. (Think low rates of lung cancer screening and longstanding delays between a suspicious scan and a diagnosis.)
Why does this matter? We are in a ‘golden age’ of lung cancer treatment. Immunotherapy and targeted therapies are incredibly effective and well-tolerated. In fact, with a daily pill, some patients can live for years after being diagnosed. Lung cancer is no longer a death sentence, but access issues, fatalism, and stigma are keeping these promising medications out of reach.
In medicine, there’s always been this gap between scientific breakthroughs and the patient bedside. And I believe that improving access and uptake of health care is one of the most challenging and important issues of our time.”
Title: Rates of Systemic Treatment for Metastatic Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Among Older Adults
Authors: Adam H. Fox, Ralph C. Ward, Mariam Alexander, Raymond U. Osarogiagbon, Robert A. Smith, Jamie L. Studts, Gerard A.
Other Articles Featuring Drew Moghanaki and Simar Bajaj on OncoDaily.