Data from the American Lung Association’s new Lung Health Barometer shows only 29% of survey respondents know that lung cancer is the leading cancer killer of adults.
That data was released Monday to coincide with the start of Lung Cancer Awareness Month.
In South Dakota this year, it’s estimated that 650 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer and 410 will die from the disease.
That’s according to Molly Collins, director of advocacy at the Lung Association in South Dakota.
She says there is hope for surviving a lung-cancer diagnosis. The five-year survival rate has increased 33% in the past 10 years thanks to advancements in treatment, research and cancer screening.
The leading cause of lung cancer is smoking, which causes 90% of lung cancer cases.