Veterans at High-Risk for Lung Cancer are Finally Getting the Support They Deserve

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This new partnership will allow the VA to share information and resources through the foundation's 750 screening centers. Indeed this could mean a substantial health boon to vets, who are at higher risk of lung cancer, and who might now have it detected at a treatable stage.

Among the veterans who stand to benefit from this new program are those like Julio Sanchez, who was diagnosed with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer in November 2019 the same time his first grandchild was born. "The diagnosis was a devastating blow to my life as I knew it! I'm a non-smoker and had never been screened, so it was not even on my radar," he wrote in a profile on the GO2 Foundation website.

But his treatments and resources have provided him much hope. "I feel so blessed and lucky today to have access to medical treatment for lung cancer," he wrote. "It is helping me live longer and spend more time with my loved ones and friends!"

Why it Matters

"Veterans have, in general, higher rates of smoking. And increasingly, as they've been deployed to the Middle East, we think there might be higher instances of inhalational lung diseases so we think that they have a higher risk of lung cancer than the general population," says Dr. Brendon M. Stiles, a thoracic surgeon at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian.

He adds, "They're also a group that's been perhaps traditionally underserved with medical care in some ways and so [the VA is] the perfect place to be aggressive about lung cancer screening."

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VA secretary Robert Wilkie noted, "The VA-GO2 Foundation partnership will help expand the array of services that are currently available within VA. It will also increase public awareness about veteran-specific conditions that place veterans at greater risk for lung cancer."

How it Helps

Dr. Stiles notes other, more indirect benefits of this new screening program, too. "First of all, it gets veterans in to talk about health care, it gets them to talk about smoking cessation,” he says. And bringing that topic to the forefront is important, because quitting smoking reduces peoples risk of lung cancer. Beyond that, "Screening, lung cancer screening in particular, can detect other heart and lung disease so in some ways it can almost be seen as a health check."

Of course, he says, "Certainly for the 1 to 2% of patients who are found to have lung cancer, screening leads to earlier detection and to finding curable cancers."

He does note that benefits must be weighed against some of the potential risks of screening, "perhaps overreacting to detection of lung nodules, or getting lots of extra, invasive tests," he says. "But I think really focusing on screening and having a dedicated program can help minimize the potentially negative effects of screening."

Take it From a Guy Who Looks at Diseased Lungs Every Day Stop Smoking

Raising Awareness

Raising awareness about the benefits of screenings is important for veterans, who often hold misconceptions about screening for lung cancer, research has shown. One study among veterans revealed that nearly half of respondents incorrectly thought that lung screening could actually increase their risk of getting lung cancer.

Dr. Drew Moghanaki is a VA lung cancer specialist and section chief of radiation oncology at the Atlanta VA Health Care System, and collaborates with the GO2 Foundation. He says there are lots of ways the organizations can work together to get out these messages.

“This can be done via co-branded messaging and by committing GO2 resources to host public information about VA’s commitment to lung cancer on their website," he said in a VA statement. The program will also include a big educational component, and VA clinicians will be invited to virtual workshops.

Personal Stories

Searching for support, Sanchez discovered the GO2 Foundation, which helped provide him with information and answer his questions. "We need increased awareness about lung cancer screening options and improved outcomes for all veterans impacted by lung cancer," he wrote. "I strongly believe early screening protocols by the VA will save thousands of lives each year…. More research and more screening will support military mission readiness and protect our men and women who serve and the millions who are impacted by lung cancer."

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