OAKLAND (May 14, 2019) – The American Lung Association and its LUNG FORCE initiative is turning turquoise during National Women’s Lung Health Week (May 12-18) to raise awareness of the #1 cancer killer of women in the United States – lung cancer. This year, LUNG FORCE is celebrating five years of lifesaving impact and uniting the nation to raise critical funds to support lung cancer research.

“We are raising awareness of the fact that anyone can get lung cancer, and no one deserves it,” said Allison Hickey, Executive Vice President of the American Lung Association in California. “We’re are proud to stand with those facing this disease and raise funds to support new treatments and better methods of early detection, so that we can save more lives.”

One of the reasons why lung cancer is so deadly is because only 18 percent of lung cancer cases among women are diagnosed early, when the disease is most curable. Women can arm themselves against lung cancer with information on risk factors and who might be eligible for screening. The Lung Association encourages everyone to learn about lung cancer and talk to their doctor if they are concerned about their risk.

Facts about lung cancer:

Every five minutes, a woman in the U.S. is told that she has lung cancer.

The rate of women being diagnosed with the disease has increased 87 percent in the last 41 years, and since the mid-1970s, lung cancer deaths among women have increased.

Close to half of all women diagnosed with lung cancer will not even survive one year, and the five-year survival rate for women with lung cancer is only one in five.

During National Women’s Lung Health Week, the American Lung Association encourages everyone to get involved by wearing turquoise, turning their social media profiles turquoise and donating to support life-saving research at LUNGFORCE.org.