Early detection of lung cancer in non-smokers

As I said to Erica Limlinger

At age 43, I had virtually no risk of developing lung cancer. I run regularly, eat well, and have never smoked. I have also never been exposed to secondhand smoke or dangerous levels of air pollution. In fact, my father was a pulmonologist and warned me from a young age about the dangers of smoking and all other potential threats to lung health.

So imagine my surprise when, after a quick run, I arrived for a routine CT scan and left with a diagnosis of stage 1 lung cancer. Just an hour ago I was running my usual route with no airway issues. I didn’t take a deep breath. It felt good. I had no symptoms.

My path to diagnosis began with a business trip to New York City with my family. There, my husband recommended I get a full-body MRI to get a baseline picture of my health. He had that done a few months ago, and a scan revealed a minor medical problem that would have gotten worse if he hadn’t known there was something that could be fixed. I wanted to spend an afternoon in the city with the kids, but eventually gave in and made an appointment. Insurance didn’t cover it, so I had to pay out of pocket.

The radiologist confirmed I had a small mass in my right lung but recommended no follow-up. The radiologist said it was a “minor finding.” It was like finding freckles on a skin test. It’s nice to have a chart and know it’s there, but you don’t have to worry about it. When I returned from my appointment, I said to my husband, “See? I’m as beautiful on the inside as I am on the outside.”

I forgot most of my MRI results, but my family and friends did not. I’ve heard from doctors in my family and friends that MRIs are good for diagnosing dense tissue and organs, but not so good for looking at the lungs. They recommended follow-up with a CT scan. I didn’t think it was necessary, but I did it anyway.

So there I was, sitting in the radiologist’s office, learning that the lump in my lung, or Freckles, had grown 4.1 cm in the months following the MRI, and that the lump was most likely stage 1 lung cancer.

I didn’t believe the diagnosis. I just came from a run and had no trouble breathing. Since you don’t have a cough, there’s no chance of you getting cancer. It was okay because I felt better. I defiantly sent the CT images to my father, a pulmonologist. I also gave a copy to the husband of a radiologist friend I saw in the carpool line. I knew they would read the scan and get a better answer than cancer. That day was Friday. My phone rang on Saturday and I was surprised to see my friend’s name in the caller ID. Why did she call instead of text? She told me I needed to see an oncologist right away.

My husband was deployed, but luckily he came back just in time for my oncologist appointment and learned the diagnosis with me. I had fast-growing adenocarcinoma that required surgery. As soon as we got home, we gathered together four children ranging in age from 8 to 14. One of the kids, who quickly sensed the mood, asked, “Are you getting divorced, or is your mom getting cancer?” I told them I had cancer. The kids laughed, thinking it was a joke. And we all cried.

The next day I had a bronchoscopy that required me to be put on a ventilator. A few days later, I hosted a Yom Kippur fasting group to share the news with my loved ones. My husband made countless calls that week trying to schedule my surgery. I had surgery a week after being diagnosed.

The surgery removed half of his lung and confirmed the cancer had not spread to his lymph nodes. Although I didn’t feel well physically after the surgery, I felt lucky to have caught the cancer at such an early stage.

During my recovery, I learned that lung cancer kills more women than breast, ovarian, and cervical cancer combined. It is very fatal because it is rarely detected early when survival rates can be high. If lung cancer has spread throughout the body, at the stage it is most commonly found, the chances of survival drop dramatically. However, we do not routinely screen for lung cancer the way we routinely screen for other cancers.

Five weeks after surgery, I started running again. Six months after surgery, tests and scans confirmed that the cancer was gone. I was glad to see that I had lung cancer in the rearview mirror, but I also realized what a miracle the miracle I had been given was and how my miracle could help others.

I will not stop advocating for early screening until we all have the ability to detect cancer early. Currently, getting screened for lung cancer requires following specific guidelines based on outdated ideas. This includes the assumption that lung cancer only occurs in smokers after age 50. In fact, women who have never smoked are now developing lung cancer at a faster rate than men who smoke, and the average age of diagnosis is decreasing. The current guidelines are so outdated that they don’t even mention vaping.

I now know that early detection saved my life and I am an advocate for early detection. I also created the Cancer Doesn’t Care Foundation to help people cover the cost of preventive low-dose chest CT scans. I wrote a book called “One Scan Saved My Life” about my experiences to raise awareness and all proceeds go to Cancer Don’t Care.

Lung cancer is often thought of as a result of lifestyle choices. But lung cancer is not a choice, and no one deserves it. Right now, I’m a lucky exception with lung cancer and I don’t want to be alone in my luck. I will continue to fight for preventative screening until my story is considered typical rather than fortunate.

resources

American Cancer Society

American Lung Association

Cancer doesn’t care.

This training material was created with support from:m Daiichi.

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