MILWAUKEE — Marguerita McClain is celebrating one year of being cancer free. Just over a year ago, she was diagnosed with Stage 1 lung cancer. 

“I smoked all of my life,” said McClain. “When I started smoking, cigarettes were 35 in a pack, and I was smoking about a carton of cigarettes a week.” 


What You Need To Know

  • November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month

  • The American Cancer Society reports that 80% of lung cancer deaths are linked to smoking

  • Yearly lung cancer screenings are recommended for those 50- to 80-years-old who have a history of smoking

  • Aurora Health Care Pulmonologist Dr. Aniruddh Kapoor said early detection is key when it comes to lung cancer

It’s a habit she said she started at 18-years-old. Now at 75, she said she’s proud of quitting. 

The American Cancer Society reports lung cancer is the second most common cancer in both men and women in the United States. Smoking is linked to around 80% of lung cancer deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I stopped smoking August 1, 2023,” said McClain. “It scared me straight.” 

Her team of doctors at Aurora Health Care were able to catch her cancer early because of routine screening. 

Pulmonologist Dr. Aniruddh Kapoor said he recommends yearly lung cancer screening for people ages 50- to 80-years-old who have a history of smoking. The screening is a low dose CT scan.

“Lung cancer caught early, like Ms. McClain’s, has a survival rate of 90%,” said Kapoor. “When you go to Stage 2, it’s 60%. Stage 3, 30% and Stage 4 lung cancer has less than a 10% survival.” 

A lung nodule the size of a cheerio was found on McClain’s scan. Kapoor said he performed a robotic bronchoscopy to identify if the nodule was cancerous. 

He said it’s a new procedure that uses real-time, 3D guidance to find answers with a less invasive path to a diagnosis. 

“Prior to this, we used to do traditional navigation bronchoscopy,” said Kapoor. “Our yields for identifying cancer for, let’s say, a spot one to two centimeters in size, about a quarter was in the mid-70% rage so not that great. With robotic bronchoscopy, we’re routinely diagnosing about a centimeter lung nodules with yields in the low 80s to high 80s range.” 

He said after McClain’s nodule came back cancerous, she underwent a segmentectomy to remove the cancer. Now, she’s making it her mission to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking and the importance of early detection.

“If I can help anybody out there and to tell them not even start because it’s very hard to stop,” said McClain.