Welcome back today.
We're turning turquoise to raise
awareness of the leading cancer
killer of women and men in the US.
We're talking about lung cancer today.
There is hope the lung cancer survival
rate is up 33% over the past ten years,
so joining us now we have pulmonologist,
Dr Mohammed al Janabi. Good to see you.
Thank you for being here and then we have
Trinity joining us and your mom Gloria.
It's great to have you both.
Thank you. Thank you.
You know this is such an important
topic and we want everyone to think
about wearing turquoise this week.
Right, OK, let's start with you doctor.
I mean you're a pulmonologist,
so you see what happens with lung cancer.
Tell us how important it is that
we do what we can to prevent this.
So unfortunately, cancer is still is the
leading cause of death in the United States.
Is the in general cancer is the 2nd
leading cause of death and lung cancer
is the main leading cause of death out
of all cancers and the guidelines there
are guidelines for lung cancer screening.
Meaning if you are at a risk group you
need to be screened for lung cancer.
To detect the cancer early and that
email can increase your survival to.
Actually, if we detect lung cancer early,
your five year survival can go up
to 60% when it's late detection
and the disease has advanced,
then that survival goes down
to less than a 20%.
So the guidelines are there.
It has been there more than 10 years and
recently the guidelines were updated to
include more people in the Community.
OK, so early detection really is key.
OK and Trini, you know I wanna ask you
because I'm I know your wife Krystal.
She lost the battle to lung cancer.
Is that right? That is correct.
OK, I'm so sorry for your loss.
I know it's it takes a lot to
come on here and talk about this,
but tell us you know what is your
message that you hope to get out. Well
first I would like to tell her story.
In 2016, Crystal passed away.
My wife Crystal,
passed away from a rare lung cancer.
At the time we didn't know what was going on.
There's very strong.
She's very healthy, very energetic,
had a heart of gold.
She started feeling pain in her
back shoulder and we thought
it was just a pulled muscle,
and then we found out that she had cancer so.
Early detection by you know?
Ah, that's so heartbreaking.
And I mean for her lifestyle.
I mean healthy, active.
But breathing is could be a danger.
I mean the the air we breathe right, right?
And what did you kind of learn
about lung cancer? Did you? It?
Was this ever a concern that you had prior?
No, no, no, yeah.
So that's something I don't think
that many people think about.
We don't realize how much
around us could cause this.
Can you explain that doctor?
I mean, what is the cause of lung cancer?
Even what can lead to
it so smoking is is one of the you know
major risk factors for lung cancer.
And then of course occupational exposure,
air pollution, sometimes genetic
predisposition, or even a mutation.
So 30% of between 20 to 30% of people
who have cancer are female who are
non smoker and they are diagnosed
with what we call a carcinoma.
So not necessarily that you are a smoker,
you need to be screened.
Ask your doctor if you qualify
for lung cancer.
Screening, OK,
that's why at Sharp Grossmont
Hospital we established the Burhard
longer clinic to be like the hub,
serve the community and the East county
or even in San Diego in general.
Just come in and ask a few qualify
for lung cancer screening and what
lung cancer screening include is
that we do a load those CT scan
that detects small tumors early in
the course of disease and we have
the most recent technology to have
tissue sample biopsy of these tumors.
Without the need for surgery
without the need for hospital stay,
you get the procedure and you leave
the hospital same day and with a
piece of mind whether this is just
inflammation or a scar tissue,
benign tumor or cancer.
OK, so you can ask to get
yourself screened to get this
scan that's so important.
Yeah and Trini, you work
at Sharp Grossmont, right?
I mean to have this, you know,
available to patients.
I can't imagine how life
changing that is now right? Yes.
Young Crystal did she passed
away at Sharp Grossmont?
No yeah, while we were playing
with my engineer family,
you know they kept me strong so
your mom included right? Yeah,
and I see the pain of her beautiful face.
Ohh she was picture yeah beautiful
inside and out yeah and at such a young
age I would imagine 434A non smoker.
That's something that I think
so many people don't realize.
It's the number one cancer killer still,
yeah, so the scanning the early detection
so important and I am curious who qualifies?
I mean is it people live in certain
neighborhoods where pollution is high?
No. So the the current guidelines
if you are between the age of
50 to 75 and use smoked for what
we call 20 pack here smoking.
So if you smoke one pack a day for 20
years or two packs a day for two years.
For 10 years, then you qualify.
But again, a lot of people who are,
you know, had lung cancer.
They are not a smoker and again female so
not necessarily to stick to the guidelines.
These are generally the guidelines
for people who smoke,
but it doesn't hurt to ask your
primary doctor if you qualify
for lung cancer screening.
If you have a family history.
If you have personal history of
cancer sometimes lung cancer can
happen with other cancers.
OK, thank you for your insight.
Thank you for sharing your story.
I'm so sorry for your loss,
but hopefully it helps a few
people who are watching right now.
We hope so appreciate
it. Thank you, thank you.