CBS spotlights lung cancer’s toll on women who never smoked
Norah O’Donnell’s HEALTHFUL examines rising lung cancer cases among U.S. women and never-smokers, with Anne Wojcicki and medical experts.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
Lung cancer now kills more American women than breast cancer, according to CBS News, and its latest HEALTHFUL episode puts a sharp focus on a group many people still do not associate with the disease: women who have never smoked.
The CBS News program, hosted by Norah O’Donnell, examines the rise of lung cancer in women and never-smokers through a mix of medical expertise and personal stories. The episode features Anne Wojcicki, Dr. Kim Sandler and Shira Kupperman Boehler.
CBS News says a growing portion of new lung cancer cases are being found in women who have no history of cigarette use. The program frames the trend as one of the most pressing and poorly understood issues in women’s health.
Wojcicki appears in the episode because her sister, Susan Wojcicki, the former CEO of YouTube, had lung cancer despite being a never-smoker, according to CBS News. The segment uses her story as part of a broader look at how the disease is affecting women outside the traditional public image of lung cancer risk.
Dr. Kim Sandler, identified by CBS News as director of the Vanderbilt Lung Screening Program, joins the discussion to address the medical side of the issue. The episode also features Shira Kupperman Boehler, described by CBS News as a lifelong nonsmoker and daily runner who was diagnosed with lung cancer at age 44.
The conversation centers on why lung cancer is showing up in women who do not fit the classic smoking-linked profile, though CBS News does not present a single cause in its description of the episode.
The episode is part of HEALTHFUL, a CBS News series hosted by O’Donnell. CBS lists the lung cancer discussion as the second episode and says it runs 56 minutes and 38 seconds.
For viewers, the central message is blunt: lung cancer is no longer a disease many women can afford to think of as someone else’s risk. CBS News is presenting the rise in cases among women and never-smokers as a health story that demands more attention, more understanding and more public discussion.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.