TAMPA, Fla. — A new report from the American Lung Association indicates not nearly enough people in Florida are getting potentially life-saving lung cancer screenings.
While 4.5% of eligible Americans are being screened nationally, the report says here in Florida, just 2.4% percent of eligible people are being screened.
Jack Sica of Largo knows the importance of early detection firsthand.
"I had a bump on my chest, and so I was like, I don't think it's anything but we'll take an x-ray just to be sure," Sica said.
The scan showed he had stage four lung cancer. He said doctors told him he had a year to live.
"When they said it was cancer, it was shocking," Sica said. "It's such a high death rate because people don't get symptoms until it's about stage four."
Fortunately, Sica defied the odds. It has been 12 years since his diagnosis and now he's cancer-free. Now, he encourages others to test early.
"I've had friends that have got scanned and they find a sense of relief. It's like, OK, now I can put that behind me. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be and now I know I'm OK."
You're eligible for a lung cancer screening if you're over 50, have a 20-pack-year history (1 pack/day for 20 years, 2 packs/day for 10 years), are a current smoker or have quit within the last 15 years. Find out if you are eligible for lung cancer screening at SavedByTheScan.org. Eligible people are covered under most insurance providers.
Dr. Larry Robinson, a thoracic surgeon with Moffitt Cancer Center, said many people are not aware they're among those who should be screened.
"It's a terrible problem in terms of getting people screened, getting them to understand, to know about it," Robinson said. "They are not aware that this is something that should be done."
Tampa-based Moffitt Cancer Center estimates roughly a million people in Florida are eligible to be screened right now, but only 2.4% of that group is getting screened.
"If you had all of those people, theoretically that million people were screened, you'd find 15,000 new lung cancers. Most all of those would be early stage and they could be treated," Robinson said.
As part of its mission to increase screenings, Moffitt plans to unveil mobile screening clinics in the next year. It is a self-contained custom vehicle with an attached generator. It will be able to go anywhere without the need for an outside hookup, according to Moffitt.
"At the start, we will only be able to go within a 50-mile radius of Tampa," Robinson said. "Once it gets started, the idea is to be able to go out further into more rural areas."
On Monday night, a call to boost screenings, and help Floridians survive lung cancer.
"Get that scan done," urged Sica. "You're going to feel better about it. You're going to have it on file and it just may save your life."