Pix11 newsreader Kaity Tong reveals she’s been diagnosed with lung cancer despite NEVER smoking…days after Big Bang Theory star Kate Micucci was given a similar diagnosis

By James On Dec 16, 2023

Pix11 news anchor Kaity Tong revealed on social media that she has been diagnosed with lung cancer despite being a lifelong non-smoker.

The surprising revelation came shortly after Big Bang Theory star Kate Micucci shared her recovery journey on TikTok following a similar diagnosis.

Tong, the 76-year-old Emmy Award-winning television news anchor, candidly shared her diagnosis of stage-one lung cancer on social media on Saturday.

She urged her followers to consult doctors and undergo routine breast tests given the increasing prevalence of the disease.

'I was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. Me, a non-smoker all my life,' she wrote on Instagram.

'The doctors told me that this diagnosis is becoming more common among Asians, especially women, who are non-smokers. That would be me. And maybe that's you.'

Pix11 news anchor Kaity Tong, 76, revealed on social media that she has been diagnosed with lung cancer despite being a lifelong non-smoker

Tong has been a popular television news anchor at WABC since the 1980s and at WPIX, where she was co-anchor for Channel 11 for nearly two decades.

The 76-year-old news anchor shared details of her initial diagnosis, highlighting the rising prevalence of the disease among Asian female non-smokers and encouraging her followers to undergo regular breast exams.

“If you fit this profile, I encourage you to talk to your doctor and determine if you should get tested, even if you have no symptoms. My cancer was discovered through a routine chest x-ray after a particularly bad cold,” she wrote.

'I was lucky. Phase one. So the cancer was found before it could spread. I had robotic surgery to remove the tumor. I am now recovering at home.

“It's been a slow but steady recovery. Mainly to get my breathing back to normal and to help the rest of my lungs compensate for the loss of one lobe.'

The Emmy Award-winning television news anchor candidly shared her first-stage lung cancer diagnosis on social media on Saturday

Tong said she has been off the air from Pix11 news for a few weeks and expressed hope of returning in mid-January.

'Dr. Isbell tells me I am now cancer free. No chemo or radiation required. And a very low chance of recurrence.

“If my journey encourages even one person who fits this profile to undergo a checkup that leads to early detection, I will be grateful,” she wrote.

The surprising revelation came days later Micucci, the 43-year-old actress known for her role in the Big Bang Theory, which spanned eight episodes from 2013 to 2017, revealed a similar diagnosis.

The surprising revelation came shortly after Big Bang Theory star Kate Micucci shared her recovery journey on TikTok following a similar diagnosis

The surprising revelation came days after Micucci, the 43-year-old actress known for her role in the Big Bang Theory, which spanned eight episodes from 2013 to 2017, revealed a similar diagnosis.

Micucci, who like Tong is a non-smoker, took to TikTok last week to document her recovery after successful surgery to remove lung cancer.

As she lay in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV, she said, “Hey everyone, this isn't a TikTok, it's a Sick Tok.

'I'm in hospital, but that's because I had lung cancer surgery yesterday. They noticed it very early.”

“It's really weird because I've never smoked a cigarette in my life, so it was a surprise, you know. But I also think it's happening and so the best news is that they caught it early, they got it out, and I'm doing fine.

“It's been a bit of a journey and I'll probably take it easy for a few weeks, but then I'll get back into it.”

Revealing how she was first diagnosed, she said: 'I had one thing in my blood work that came back really high.

'So I went to a preventive doctor who did a few scans. He scanned my heart and noticed the spot in my lung.'

The actress, who played Raj's (Kunal Nayyar) love interest Lucy on the show in eight episodes between 2013 and 2017, took to TikTok to document her recovery after a successful surgery to remove the disease.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the US. It is detected using a low-dose computed tomography scan (CT scan).

One in six people will be diagnosed with lung cancer during their lifetime, and more than 127,000 lives are lost each year.

A recent report from the ACS shows that young women are more likely to suffer from lung cancer than men.

Men were almost twice as likely as women to develop the disease in the 1980s, due to higher rates of smoking and higher workplace exposure to substances such as asbestos.

But with declining cigarette use and safety regulations, the pattern has reversed, with young and middle-aged women now more likely to be diagnosed with the disease than men.

In 1992 there were about 65 new cases of lung cancer for every 100,000 people and by 2019 this had fallen to about 42.

WHAT IS LUNG CANCER?

Lung cancer is one of the most common and serious forms of cancer.

About 47,000 people are diagnosed with the condition in Britain every year.

There are usually no signs or symptoms in the early stages of lung cancer, but many people with the condition eventually develop symptoms, including:

– a persistent cough

– coughing up blood

– persistent shortness of breath

– unexplained fatigue and weight loss

– pain or soreness when breathing or coughing

If you have these symptoms, you should see a doctor.

Types of lung cancer

There are two main types of primary lung cancer.

These are classified based on the type of cells in which the cancer begins to grow.

They are:

– Non-small cell lung cancer. The most common form, accounting for more than 87 percent of cases.

– There are three types: squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma or large cell carcinoma.

– Small cell lung cancer – a less common form that usually spreads more quickly than non-small cell lung cancer.

– The type of lung cancer you have determines which treatments are recommended.

Who is affected

Lung cancer mainly affects the elderly. It rarely occurs in people under 40 years of age.

More than four in ten people in Britain with lung cancer are aged 75 or over.

Although people who have never smoked can develop lung cancer, smoking is the most common cause (accounting for about 72 percent of cases).

This is because smoking involves regularly inhaling a number of different toxins.

Treatment of lung cancer

Treatment depends on the type of mutation the cancer has, how far the cancer spreads, and how good your general health is.

If the condition is diagnosed early and the cancer cells are confined to a small area, surgery may be recommended to remove the affected lung area.

If surgery is not suitable due to your general health, radiotherapy may be recommended instead to destroy the cancer cells.

If the cancer has spread too far for surgery or radiotherapy to be effective, chemotherapy is usually used.

There are also some medications called targeted therapies.

They target a specific change in or around the cancer cells that helps them grow.

Targeted therapies cannot cure lung cancer, but they can slow its spread.

Source: NHS