WARREN, Mass. — Pat Staruk loves going on walks with her dogs. But a few years ago, when she couldn't go a few steps without stopping, she knew something was wrong.

"It took me about three months," she said. "I couldn't breathe anymore."

Pat had a nodule on her diaphragm. Doctors diagnosed it as stage 1 lung cancer — the same disease which killed her mother.

"I smoked for a long time," Pat said. "I gave it up 15 years ago. And I'm so happy I did."

UMass Memorial Medical Center's Dr. Alexander Bankier says smoking is the most common denominator among the lung cancer patients he sees.

"There also is a linear relationship between the amount of cigarettes smoked and the duration of cigarettes smoked," said Bankier, the hospital's section chief of cardio thoracic imaging.

Bankier says one of the challenges in finding lung cancer early is the lack of symptoms because many patients might not know they have it until the disease is in advanced stages.

Pat’s nodule was in a sensitive area. So her suspicion led her to get screened and in essence, saved her life. This November marks two years since the nodule was removed.

"Excellent" is how Pat described how she feels.

The American Lung Association says the national five-year survival rate is a little more than 28%, but Dr. Bankier says rates can vary based on the severity of the cancer. He encourages people to speak with their primary care physician about screenings, and patients between 50 and 80 who have smoked should already be getting them regularly.

"The earlier a patient starts the screening process, the higher the potential screening benefit for the patients will be," said Bankier.

"They've come a long way with the cancer," Pat said. "A lot of people are surviving now. But they can't do it unless they get screened."

Now, Pat’s walks with the pups are a lot easier. And the 69-year-old has a message for others.

"If you want to have a good lease on life, take care of yourself," Pat said. "Take the screening."