There is plenty to complain about with taxes and regulations in New York, but our approach to caring for lung cancer isn’t one of those things.
The American Lung Association in New York released the 2025 “State of Lung Cancer” report. The good news is that New York ranks second nationally for surgery as first course of treatment (2 out of 49 states), third in survival (3 out of 39), fifth in early diagnosis at (5 out of 50), and above average in screening, treatment rates, and other key measures.
The report also reveals that more needs to be done to end the burden of lung cancer on families throughout the state. It is the leading cause of cancer deaths in New York and across the U.S.
“In the last decade, we have seen incredible progress, including increases in lung cancer survival and early detection rates. This means that more people in New York are living longer after a lung cancer diagnosis,” said Michael Seilback, assistant vice president of nationwide advocacy and state public policy for the American Lung Association. “While this progress gives us hope, early detection and survival rates are far too low in our state. Working to increase awareness and access to lung cancer screening is critical to saving lives.”
Additional findings specific to New York are:
NY is 21 out of 51 states for rate of new lung cancer cases, at 52.82 per 100,000, which marks a 10% improvement over past five years. The national rate is 52.8 per 100,000.
NY is 11 out of 51 states for lung cancer screening, at 21.8%. Nationally, only 18.2% of people at high risk were screened.
Black individuals in New York are 22% less likely to be diagnosed early at 26.7% compared to white individuals at 34.2%.