Survivorship Care for Veterans With Early Lung Cancer

Julie Beck, AN, MSN, MPH; Andrew Dhanasopon, MD; Elizabeth C. Conti, PhD

July 07, 2023

In Collaboration With

Lung cancer is the number-one cause of cancer-related death for veterans. Each year, the Veterans Administration (VA) diagnoses and treats lung cancer in 8000 veterans, and approximately 5000 veterans die from the disease.

However, the ability to screen and identify lung cancer at earlier stages has significantly increased survival, resulting in 5-year survival rates for stage 1 disease between 60% and 70%. The VA began widespread screening for veterans in 2013 and performs annual low-dose CT on select patients.

In this ReCAP, panelists affiliated with the VA healthcare system discuss the physical and emotional challenges facing veterans who have been treated for early lung cancer. They outline many of the advantages the VA has in providing a network of services to address survivor needs, including smoking cessation, fatigue management, and psychological support to address anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

This program was created in collaboration with the Association of VA Hematology/Oncology (AVAHO), and does not represent the opinions of the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.

Cite this: Survivorship Care for Veterans With Early Lung Cancer - Medscape - Jul 07, 2023.

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