American Lung Association and the Ad Council Launch Spanish Language PSA Campaign to Increase Awareness of Lung Cancer Screening among the Hispanic Community

To raise public awareness of lung cancer—the leading cancer killer of women and men—during Lung Cancer Awareness Month, the American Lung Association’s LUNG FORCE initiative and the Ad Council today launched Spanish language messaging for its “Saved By The Scan” campaign to educate the Hispanic community about the lifesaving lung cancer screening.

First launched on World Lung Cancer Day last year, “Saved By The Scan” is the only national public service advertising (PSA) campaign to educate Americans about the groundbreaking lung cancer screening for those at high risk for the disease. The low-dose CT scan can detect lung cancer in the early stages, before symptoms arise, when the disease is more curable.

To extend the campaign’s message further and reach Hispanic audiences who may be at risk for lung cancer, the American Lung Association and Ad Council are today releasing Spanish TV, radio, print and digital PSAs, which were created pro bono by advertising agency Hill Holliday.

The campaign targets the estimated 8 million people in the U.S. who are at high risk for lung cancer and should talk to their doctor about getting screened. A person is considered high risk for lung cancer if they: are between 55–80 years old; (or between 55–77 years old and on Medicare), have a 30 pack year history of smoking (this means 1 pack a day for 30 years, 2 packs a day for 15 years, etc.), and are a current smoker, or have quit within the last 15 years.

“Lung cancer is the nation’s leading cause of cancer deaths, and this newly available screening offers the potential to turn the tide against this deadly disease,” said Harold P. Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association. “‘Saved By The Scan’ is the first-of-its-kind campaign, and we want to ensure that this lifesaving information reaches all communities and residents, regardless of income, education, ethnic background or language. Sharing this message in Spanish is an important step to both raising awareness about the availability of screening for those at high risk and encouraging conversations between patients and their doctors.”

This new Spanish-language campaign aims to raise awareness of the benefits of early detection through lung cancer screening and drive high-risk individuals to take a lung cancer screening eligibility quiz at SalvaTuPulmon.org (SavedByTheScan.org in English). The site also provides information about lung cancer screening, insurance coverage and more in Spanish and includes a section for people to share their personal stories about how they were “saved by the scan.”

“Our English ‘Saved By The Scan’ campaign has already encouraged so many people to take this disease seriously and get screened,” said Ad Council CEO and President Lisa Sherman. “With this new Spanish language creative, we can empower Hispanic individuals who may be at risk to get screened and ultimately save even more lives.”

The television spot, featuring a former smoker climbing to the top of a vast mountain of cigarettes and ash, is symbolic of the effort it took to quit smoking. After conquering the addiction, proactively taking the extra step to get screened for lung cancer is punctuated by the tagline, “You stopped smoking. Now start screening.” The creative was shot by Academy-Award nominee Rodrigo Prieto, the cinematographer behind Silence, Babel, Argo and Brokeback Mountain.

Consider the facts about lung cancer:

• Lung cancer kills 422 people every day – approximately 18 deaths each hour, or 1 death every 3.4 minutes.
• Early detection can save lives – survival rates are five times higher when lung cancer is detected early, but most cases are not diagnosed until later stages.
• If the 8 million considered at high-risk were screened, about 25,000 lives could be saved. 

The American Lung Association created LUNG FORCE, a national movement to defeat lung cancer, the leading cancer killer of women and men. LUNG FORCE has three priorities: make lung cancer a cause that people care about and act on, educate and empower patients and healthcare providers, and raise critical funds for lung cancer research.

Individuals who may be at high risk are encouraged to visit SalvaTuPulmon.org (Spanish) or  SavedByTheScan.org (English), where they can take the lung cancer screening eligibility quiz and find additional information on the campaign and lung cancer.