“I’ve got to tell you guys something. I have cancer,” Griffin wrote in the caption. “I’m about to go into surgery to have half of my left lung removed. Yes, I have lung cancer even though I’ve never smoked!” During an interview with ABC News’ Nightline, Griffin explains how she’s been feeling since she received the diagnosis. Here’s what you need to know.
What we know about Kathy Griffin’s diagnosis
Griffin’s diagnosis is very new—she only found out a few weeks ago. “Really just days ago—like, I think two weeks ago—I was diagnosed with cancer. As a friend of mine had said, ‘How many kicks in the nuts can you take?’ My nuts are pretty strong, but it’s a challenge,” she told Nightline co-anchor Juju Chang. “I was definitely in shock. I’m still a little bit in shock. Not denial, but once a day I’ll just turn to like, nobody next to me and go, ‘Can you believe this shit? Is this a bitch or what?’” However, the doctors are “very optimistic” about Griffin’s case, since it is stage one and contained to one lung. “Hopefully, no chemo or radiation after this and I should have normal function with my breathing. I should be up and running around as usual in a month or less," says Griffin.
What are the most common causes of lung cancer?
When we think about lung cancer, we think about smoking. And while it’s not the case with Griffin, smoking is indeed the most common cause. “Lung cancer due to smoking is a dose-response-per-time-relationship,” Dr. Osita Onugha, MD, thoracic surgeon and assistant professor of thoracic surgical oncology at Saint John’s Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, explains. “In other words, smoking the same amount of cigarettes in a shorter duration of time has a higher risk than smoking it over a longer period of time.” But another factor to consider is the number of cigarettes smoked per kg bodyweight, Dr. Onugha adds. Those are factors that can cause women to develop lung cancer earlier and with less exposure. Patients who are 55-77 years old, have a 30-year pack smoking history (one pack a day for 30 years or two packs a day for 15 years) and who have quit within the past 15 years, qualify for annual lung cancer screening with an annual low dose chest CT scan, Dr. Onugha states. Of course, lung cancer still happens even for non-smokers like Griffin—like any form of cancer, doctors don’t have a real explanation for it. But if you want to reduce your chance of lung cancer, avoiding smoking is a great first step.
What are the treatment options for lung cancer?
Lung cancer treatments have expanded over time and the best options depend on the stage of cancer and mutational markers. For example, “if you have early-stage lung cancer, then surgery is the best option,” says Dr. Onugha. “With advanced-stage lung cancer, it’s a bit more complicated and you need a good lung cancer oncology team to help develop the best treatment plan.” So, how is treatment determined? By the type and stage of lung cancer. “Depending on the specific case, treatment may be surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, targeted drug therapy, or a combination of treatments,” Dr. Onugha explains. Operations are performed to remove a portion of the lung or the entire lung.“This is the gold standard for treatment of lung cancer with the hope of a cure,” says Dr. Onugha. “In 1992, thoracic surgeons at Saint John’s Cancer Institute pioneered the use of minimally invasive video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), and continue to develop innovative treatment approaches to achieve the best outcomes for lung cancer patients.” In Griffin’s case, it sounds like she’s getting a pneumonectomy, or removal of the entire lung.
How to prevent lung cancer
While there’s no tried-and-true way to prevent lung cancer, Dr. Onugha emphasizes that avoiding smoking and avoiding exposure to secondhand smoke is your best line of defense. You can do your best to avoid exposure to radon and odorless gas, too. To do this, Dr. Onugha recommends testing the soil under your house for radon with radon test kits from a hardware store. “If there’s radon in the soil, then contact a crawl space contractor for ways to seal the soil." Next, read about four lung cancer survivors who shared their heart-wrenching cancer journeys.
Sources
InstagramABC News Nightline: “Kathy Griffin Says She’s Overcoming a New Obstacle: Overcoming Lung Cancer”Dr. Osita Onugha, MD, thoracic surgeon and assistant professor of thoracic surgical oncology at Saint John’s Cancer Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California.
