KentuckyOne Health Facilities Encouraging Lung Cancer Awareness - Archived

For More Information:
David McArthur, Senior Manager, Media Relations
502.562.7016 or 502.648.3411
[email protected]

 
KentuckyOne Health Facilities Encouraging Lung Cancer Awareness
Facilities statewide holding events to encourage low-dose CT screenings

Louisville, Ky. (November 14, 2016) — Kentucky continues to have the highest rates of lung cancer in the country – a disease that is killing 10,000 Kentuckians a year. It’s not only a problem across the state, but also across the country. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, and KentuckyOne Health is working to raise awareness and help reduce these statistics through advanced screening technology and education.
 
“Smoking is one of the main causes of lung cancer,” said Goetz Kloecker, MD, medical oncologist, James Graham Brown Cancer Center, part of KentuckyOne Health; and associate professor, University of Louisville School of Medicine. “People who smoke face a risk up to 20 times higher than a non-smoker. We want the community to be aware of this risk, and take the necessary precautions to catch this disease early.”
 
Lung cancer forms in the tissues of the lung, usually in the cells lining the air passages.
The recommended screening for lung cancer is a low-dose computed tomography (CT) scan. During this test, an X-ray machine scans the entire body, using low doses of radiation to make detailed pictures of the lung. This screening can help spot lung cancer in the early stages, and is recommended annually for those who have a history of heavy smoking, have quit smoking within the past 15 years, and are 55 or older.
 
Data shows that a low-dose CT screening is four times more likely to detect a mass, compared to a traditional chest X-ray.
 
In it’s earliest stages, lung cancer typically doesn’t show symptoms. Once the disease has advanced, those with lung cancer may notice the following symptoms:
 
•      Coughing that gets worse and doesn’t go away
•      Chest pain
•      Shortness of breath
•      Wheezing
•      Coughing up blood
•      Feeling very tired all the time
•      Weight loss with no known cause
 
Lung cancer can also occur in people who have never smoked. Risk factors include exposure to radon gas, exposure to asbestos and other carcinogens, and a family history of lung cancer.
 
To help raise awareness about lung cancer and the importance of screenings, KentuckyOne Health facilities will have lung cancer awareness tables set up to help educate patients and visitors.
 
On Tuesday, November 15, lung cancer awareness tables will be set up from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, Cancer and Blood Specialists, Medical Center Jewish East, James Graham Brown Cancer Center, Saint Joseph London, Saint Joseph Berea, Saint Joseph Mount Sterling, Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph East.
 
On Thursday, November 17, lung cancer awareness tables will be set up from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Our Lady of Peace, Flaget Memorial Hospital, Medical Center Jewish Southwest, Medical Center Jewish Northeast, and Saint Joseph Martin.
 
Lung cancer awareness educational materials will be handed out in the lobbies of each of the facilities. The tables will be decorated with white decorations, as well as a bouquet of white and purple balloons. The color white is used to represent lung cancer awareness.  
 
To learn more about lung cancer screenings, call KentuckyOne Health Cancer Care at 855-34KYONE (59663).
 
About KentuckyOne Health
KentuckyOne Health, the largest and most comprehensive health system in the Commonwealth, has more than 200 locations including, hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes and home health agencies in Kentucky and southern Indiana. KentuckyOne Health is dedicated to bringing wellness, healing and hope to all, including the underserved.  The system is made up of the former Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System, along with the University of Louisville Hospital and James Graham Brown Cancer Center. KentuckyOne Health is proud of and strengthened by its Catholic, Jewish and academic heritages.