'She saved her sister's life, that's the best gift you can give anyone'

Full story posted at KIMT News on May 21, 2018

Thousand of current and former smokers who should be screened for lung cancer aren't getting checked. That's according to a new study from the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Susan Franken, of Rochester, was among that group, until someone close to her made a life-saving suggestion. The 62-year old has been a smoker for 47 years and never thought to get a lung cancer screening until last fall when she got a phone call from her sister.

"I was out having a cigarette when she asked me, " says Susan. "I remember exactly where I was."

Susan's sister encouraged her to get a screening and in February, she went in for a CT scan at Mayo Clinic. The results: stage 1A lung cancer, which luckily is very treatable.

"Typically, we can remove it with surgery," explains Shanda H. Blackmon, MD, MPH, Professor of Surgery at Mayo Clinic. Because it was caught so early, Dr. Blackmon was able to remove Susan's cancer. But catching lunch cancer at this stage is not easy because many patients, like Susan, don't show any symptoms until it's too late.

Continuing reading at KIMT News.

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