American Lung Association: New Jersey among top states for lung cancer survival but racial disparities persist

TRENTON, N.J. — The American Lung Association in New Jersey released its 2025 “State of Lung Cancer” report on Wednesday, revealing that while the Garden State continues to make progress in lung cancer prevention, detection, and treatment, disparities in care remain.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in New Jersey and across the United States. The annual report, now in its eighth year, tracks progress across key indicators such as new case rates, early diagnosis, screening, treatment, and survival.

According to the report, New Jersey ranks among the best in the nation in several critical categories:

• 8th in survival (32.8%), marking a 19% improvement over the past five years.
• 3rd for surgery as first course of treatment (26.2%).
• 9th for high-risk screening (22.3%).
• 16th in new case rate, at 49.02 per 100,000 people — a 13% improvement over the last five years.
• 6th for adult smoking, at 9.1%, well below the national rate of 11.4%.
• 8th for radon safety, with 9.8% of tests equal to or better than the EPA’s recommended action level.

While New Jersey’s rankings are strong, the report found significant disparities in care. Black individuals are 32% less likely to receive surgical treatment for lung cancer, with a rate of 18.5% compared to 27.2% for white individuals.

“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 Jersey 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 still far too low in our state. Working to increase awareness and access to lung cancer screening and biomarker testing are critical to saving lives. This is why the state must step in to ensure their residents have access to the best lung cancer care.”

The report also highlights the importance of comprehensive biomarker testing, which helps doctors identify genetic changes in tumors to guide personalized treatment. New Jersey is among the states that require insurance coverage for biomarker testing, helping to reduce cost barriers for patients.

The Lung Association urged other states to follow New Jersey’s lead in expanding access to screening, treatment, and biomarker testing.

“While we’ve made progress, there’s still much work to be done to ensure every individual — regardless of race, income, or location — has equal access to lifesaving lung cancer care,” Seilback said.

The full 2025 “State of Lung Cancer” report is available at Lung.org/solc.