On Thursday, Jan. 16, David Cooke, head of general thoracic surgery at UC Davis Health, will discuss the importance of early detection of lung cancer and the current disparities in screening for it in an open community event.
Cooke, a national leader in robotic thoracic surgery, cares for patients with lung and esophageal diseases and chairs the UC Davis Comprehensive Lung Cancer Screening Program. In his talk, he will discuss how lung cancer screening can "equalize the opportunity for care and cure."
Disparities in Lung Cancer Screening
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, both in men and women. It kills more people in the US than breast, prostate and colon cancer combined.
More than 70 percent of lung cancer cases are diagnosed when they are advanced and the chance of cure is low. Of the more than 7.6 million Americans eligible for screening, only 2 percent have been screened. This is especially true for African Americans who are less likely to be screened and more likely to die from their disease. In fact, African American men have the highest rates of lung cancer in the U.S.
Nearly one-third of African Americans in Sacramento County smoke. With more than 80 percent of lung cancer deaths are caused by tobacco, the African American community is at a high risk for this disease.
"Early detection through lung cancer screening is a game changer," Cooke said. "Most lung cancers detected by the scan are stages I or II with the highest rate of cure, especially today with advanced treatments like minimally invasive surgery and targeted and immunotherapies."
The Community Conversations Science Café
The Community Conversations Science Café provides a casual, safe space to have conversations with scientists. It aims to engage the public in a discussion about research, current events and other aspects of science that have relevant public health interest.
The program is a bi-monthly speaker series supported by UC Davis Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC), UC Davis Center for Reducing Health Disparities and the Powerhouse Science Center.
When | Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020 | 6 - 8 p.m.
Where | Old Soul @ Forty Acres | 3434 Broadway, Sacramento, CA 95817
Open to all. Free admission and light refreshments.
