Alarming statistic of the week: Lung cancer kills 422 people every day.
That’s equates to around 18 deaths each hour, or one every 3.4 minutes.
It’s the leading cancer killer of women and men, and the American Lung Association and the Ad Council have launched a new phase of work this November in a bid to help save lives.
"Lung cancer screening is a powerful tool, but its lifesaving potential will never be fully realized if it’s underutilized," said Harold P. Wimmer, national president and CEO, American Lung Association.
"Spreading the word about screening is essential, and the American Lung Association is proud to continue partnering with the Ad Council and Hill Holliday to raise awareness of this lifesaving test."
The "Saved By The Scan" campaign, created pro bono by advertising agency Hill Holliday, aims to educate current and former smokers about the low-dose CT scan that can detect lung cancer in the early stages, when the disease is more curable.
Early detection can save lives. In fact, survival rates are more than four times higher when lung cancer is detected early, but most cases are not diagnosed until later stages.
It is estimated that if the eight million Americans considered at high-risk were screened, an estimated 48,000 lives would be saved.
Milli Wilson, a 62-year-old singer, said: "I saw the first ’Saved By The Scan’ video while I was watching my favorite show one night. I saw a woman climbing a mountain of cigarette butts and learned that I was potentially at high risk for lung cancer. At my next doctor’s visit, I requested the low-dose CT scan. While I had no symptoms, I was diagnosed with early stage lung cancer and my doctor recommended a procedure to remove the mass. Today I’m a living example of how screening can save your life."
Michelle Hillman, chief campaign development officer of the Ad Council, explained: "We continue to hear reports from consumers who saw ‘Saved By The Scan’ materials, got the scan and caught the disease early. When it comes to the power of communications, there’s nothing greater than saving a life and we are eager to share this new round of work, hopefully inspiring more high-risk individuals to talk to their doctors and get the scan if they are eligible."
To extend the campaign’s message further, the American Lung Association and Ad Council are releasing new TV, print, billboard, bus shelter and digital work.
The drive has received more than $46 million in donated media support to date and has collaborated on lung cancer screening content with top-tier content platforms, including Facebook Creative Shop, The New York Post, USA Today and WebMD.
The lung cancer screening eligibility quiz on SavedByTheScan.org also continues to effectively reach qualified respondents; there have been more than 291,000 quiz completions since the campaign launch, 90,000 people were found to be at high risk and were encouraged to speak with their doctor. Additionally, awareness of the lung cancer screening method has increased 75 percent since launch and continues to grow year over year.
"When smokers hear the words lung cancer, they are rightfully scared," added Lance Jensen, Hill Holliday chief creative officer. "But with this new scanning technology, there’s hope. With the help of our production partner, Psyop, we created a visually arresting film that will let people know lung cancer doesn’t have to be so terrifying. There’s hope. Hill Holliday is proud to work with the American Lung Association and the Ad Council for the second year in a row on this amazing project."