In California this year, an estimated 17,000 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer and nearly 10,000 will die from the devastating disease, according to the American Cancer Society.
As a member of the Love Your Lungs: Sacramento Lung Health Coalition, the cancer center is helping to bring a community Love Your Lungs event to City Church of Sacramento (3860 4th Avenue) on Monday, Nov. 6, from 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
The free event will provide information on health care resources and pre-screen people to see if they qualify for life-saving low-dose CT scans to check for lung cancer. Symptoms usually don’t appear until lung cancer is in an advanced stage. Getting a low-dose CT scan can catch lung cancer early, improve treatment options, and survival rates.
“Low-dose CT scans take less time than a mammogram, are painless and can spot lung cancer when it is treatable,” said David T. Cooke, chief of the Division of General Thoracic Surgery, who plans to be at the event. “We aim to pre-screen individuals by going through the screening criteria and having them take a short quiz to see if they qualify.”
Organizations that are part of the coalition as well as staff with the cancer center’s Office of Community Outreach and Engagement will be on hand to answer questions and provide educational resources on such topics as tobacco education and cessation and health insurance. In addition to resources, there will be food and giveaways.
“The Love Your Lungs: Sacramento Lung Health Coalition aims to meet people where they are to educate, engage, and provide evidence-based lung health information and resources to our diverse and marginalized communities across Sacramento,” cancer center Community Outreach and Engagement Coordinator Alexandra Gori said.
For more information, contact Gori at acgori@ucdavis.edu or at 916-703-5165.
UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center
UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated center serving the Central Valley and inland Northern California, a region of more than 6 million people. Its specialists provide compassionate, comprehensive care for more than 100,000 adults and children every year and access to more than 200 active clinical trials at any given time. Its innovative research program engages more than 240 scientists at UC Davis who work collaboratively to advance discovery of new tools to diagnose and treat cancer. Patients have access to leading-edge care, including immunotherapy and other targeted treatments. Its Office of Community Outreach and Engagement addresses disparities in cancer outcomes across diverse populations, and the cancer center provides comprehensive education and workforce development programs for the next generation of clinicians and scientists. For more information, visit cancer.ucdavis.edu.
