11/19/2025
🎗️ Lung Cancer Awareness Month 🎗️
Meet Patricia Spiser, BSN RN-BC, Nurse Navigator at Midland Health At The Lung Center—a leader in our mission to become the premiere team for preventing, diagnosing, and treating lung disease in the Permian Basin with unmatched quality, compassion, and cutting-edge technology.
Lung cancer remains the #1 cause of cancer death in the United States—claiming more lives each year than breast, prostate, and colon cancer combined. In 2025, an estimated 226,650 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer, and 124,730 will lose their lives. That’s 1 in 5 cancer deaths nationwide.
In Texas, the outlook is equally urgent:
• The lung cancer 5-year survival rate is just 25.5%—below the national average.
• Only about 24% of cases in Texas are caught early, even though early detection dramatically improves survival.
• Rural regions like the Permian Basin face higher risk due to limited screening access, environmental exposures, and delayed diagnosis.
But here’s the hope ⬇️
Patricia and our multidisciplinary team at The Lung Center are transforming outcomes right here at home. With advanced low-dose CT screenings, personalized nurse navigation, comprehensive treatment pathways, and evidence-based care, we are bringing world-class lung health to West Texas.
💛 What YOU can do:
• If you are 50–80 with a history of smoking (30 pack-years or more) or quit within the last 15 years, ask your provider about a low-dose CT screening—it can save your life.
• Don’t ignore warning signs like a persistent cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, or unexplained weight loss.
• Lung cancer does not only affect smokers—everyone deserves awareness, screening, and support.
Patricia reminds us daily: Action saves lives. Awareness saves lives. Early detection saves lives. And here in West Texas, you don’t have to face lung disease alone.
Together, we can turn alarming statistics into hopeful futures. 🫁✨
