An Incredible Journey: WTOP Radio's Neal Augenstein Talks About Lung Cancer

Hello and welcome to the Dragon Tree Newsletter, your smooth on-ramp to the communications superhighway! This week, we're speaking with radio broadcaster Neal Augenstein . Neal has been a general assignment reporter with the Washington, DC radio station WTOP News since 1997 and is also a multimedia journalist and mobile journalism trainer. Because of his unique voice and insightful storytelling, he's been dubbed the “Voice of DC."

In November of 2022, Neal was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer, which for many can be incurable. But thankfully, after a robotic-assisted lobectomy and targeted therapy, Neal is now cancer free. 

Since November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, we asked Neal to join us to discuss his cancer journey from diagnosis to treatment. What's unique about his journey is that there's been a wide audience following him on his road to recovery as he's explained every milestone. For example, Neal has produced videos in which he interviewed his own care team, including his oncologist, the director of thoracic surgery at the hospital where he was treated, and his interventional pulmonologist, all of whom helped translate complex medical jargon into easily-understandable messages.

In his radio work, articles featured on the WTOP website, and on social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and X/Twitter, Neal has explained every stage of his journey with great perspective and empathy, helping others to come to terms with their own cancer treatment. It was a truly an honor to have him join us. Please check out our conversation to learn more about his story:

One idea that Neal hopes audiences take away from his videos is that people can be diagnosed with lung cancer if they've never smoked a cigarette. This is true of Neal because, even though he has a family history of smoking, he himself was never a smoker.

And he's not alone: according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "In the United States, about 10% to 20% of lung cancers, or 20,000 to 40,000 lung cancers each year, happen in people who never smoked or smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime."

The CDC also notes that lung cancer "can be caused by risk factors other than smoking cigarettes, pipes, or cigars. Examples include exposure to other people's smoke (called secondhand smoke), radon, air pollution, a family history of lung cancer, and asbestos."

People with Stage 4 lung cancer like Neal were once considered incurable. But with advances in technology, that prognosis has changed; lung cancer is increasingly treatable, and in the right circumstances, people can go on to live happy, productive lives. He hopes that a public accounting of his road to recovery will help inspire hope in others who encounter similar obstacles.

Data Points of the Day

Since November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, we thought we'd dig into some of the numbers surrounding lung cancer prevalence in the United States. The two graphs featured here are courtesy of the CDC.

First up, let's look at incidence and mortality rates in the U.S. According to the CDC, the most recent data available for lung cancer incidence and mortality in the United States is from 2021 and 2022, respectively. In 2021, 209,500 new lung cancers were reported; in 2022, 131,888 people died from lung cancer. It should be noted that these numbers reflect age-adjusted rates per 100,000 standard population.

Up next is 5-year relative survival. The American Cancer Society defines a five-year relative survival rate as follows:

"A relative survival rate compares people with the same type and stage of cancer to people in the overall population. For example, if the 5-year relative survival rate for a specific stage of lung cancer is 60%, it means that people who have that cancer are, on average, about 60% as likely as people who don’t have that cancer to live for at least 5 years after being diagnosed."

The numbers below were provided by the CDC, and they are based on cancers diagnosed from 2014 to 2020 and follow-up of patients through December 31, 2020.

Further Information

Connect with Neal by visiting the WTOP website, or by finding him on Instagram, Twitter/X (@AugensteinWTOP), YouTube, or LinkedIn. 

And in case you missed our last podcast episode with lava expert Júlíus Ingi Jónsson, check out our fascinating conversation here.

Reach out to us before the next episode on BlueSky, Threads (@dragontreecomms), Instagram (@dragontreecomms) or Twitter/X (@DragonTreeComms).

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Until next time, the staff at Dragon Tree wishes you a week full of clear communication, inspirational Instagram posts, and elucidating emails!

#LungCancer #Cancer #Healthcare