Rush Medical Center's "Pink and Pearl" campaign pairs early detection for breast and lung cancer
The Pink and Pearl Campaign held at Rush University Medical Center is designed to push a powerful message: that early detection for breast and lung cancer saves lives.
This was a first-of-its-kind effort at a hospital in the Midwest. It began in Tennessee, where organizers were able to gain traction by leveraging how successful mammograms are for breast cancer screening to better spread awareness for lung cancer screening.
Officials said about 80% of women get screened for breast cancer, but only about 7% of people eligible get screened for lung cancer.
Now three years in, more women are getting screened for lung cancer.
At Rush, women filled out a quick questionnaire during their mammograms to flag possible lung cancer risks. Those who qualify are referred to Rush's lung cancer screening team.
Lung cancer is survivable if it's caught early with many treatment options, but because it's often not screened for early detection, lung cancer is the number one fatal cancer in men and women, organizers said. The scan takes less than 10 minutes.
Sisters Yolanda Robertson and Sara Zigler have both been screened for lung cancer along with their breast cancer screenings.
"I'm a one-year breast cancer survivor," Yolanda said. "You don't really hear a lot about lung cancer like you hear about breast cancer. Rush is a very good hospital, they go the extra mile to make sure you're tested and everything is done correction. If you come up positive, they're going to get to the bottom of it to make you better."
"It's an eye-opener for every female," Sara said. "It's time to pay attention to your body.
Three years into the campaign, it's reaching patients who would otherwise be missed. Overall, Rush's lung cancer screening rate among eligible patients has climbed to 20%, higher than the national average of 15%.
And even if you haven't smoked, you may still meet the criteria for a lung screening. Rush offers a hotline for people to identify if they should be screened