Lung Cancer Awareness Month

By virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution of Virginia in the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, there is hereby officially recognized:

WHEREAS, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, accounting for the highest mortality rate among both men and women with cancer; and

WHEREAS, the incidence rate of new lung cancer cases in Virginia was 54 per 100,000 as compared to the national rate of 57 per 100,000 in 2022; and

WHEREAS, the American Cancer Society estimates more than 6,000 new cases of lung cancer in Virginia in 2023 and more than 3,300 deaths associated with the disease; and

WHEREAS, early diagnosis strategies for high-risk individuals through annual screenings with low-dose CT scans can reduce the lung cancer death rate by up to 20 percent by detecting tumors at early stages when they are more likely to be curable; and

WHEREAS, in Virginia, only 8 percent of those at high risk were screened, which is higher than the national average of 6 percent, but much less than optimal; and

WHEREAS, Lung Cancer Awareness Month serves as an opportunity to increase awareness of the disease and to encourage individuals, particularly those at high risk, to have a plan to detect lung cancer in its early stages; and

WHEREAS, it is vital that those affected by lung cancer have access to quality care and that research of all forms of lung cancer continues to be supported;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize November 2023, as LUNG CANCER AWARENESS MONTH in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.

Governor of Virginia

Proclamations