BATON ROUGE — In recent decades, the United States has made strides in the fight against lung cancer.

But the disease continues to be the number one cause of cancer deaths in the country.

"Whenever I discuss it with patients or to the community, they're always shocked by it. They're like, I thought it was breast cancer. I thought it was colorectal, cause they always get the attention,” Dr. Panagis Galiatsatos, the national spokesperson for the American Lung Association, said to commemorate World Lung Cancer Day on Friday.

Galiatsatos with the American Lung Association says that's why continued awareness is key to continuing the decline in lung cancer deaths.

The first thing to know: Anyone can get the disease, not only people who have a history of smoking.

"While tobacco use still may be the number one cause of preventable cause of lung cancer, the smoking rates in the United States have fallen drastically, but lung cancer incidence has not,” Galiatsatos said.

While it's still the deadliest cancer, the survival rate for lung cancer has increased by 26% over the past five years.

Lung cancer screening is available, but only about 16% of those eligible are getting screened.

If you or a loved one is diagnosed with lung cancer, get the tumor tested for biomarkers. It can help determine the best treatment for you.

Finally, the State of Lung Cancer Report shows people of color are less likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer early, when it's more treatable. They're also less likely to be alive five years after diagnosis and more likely to go without treatment.

"What I will plea with any individual is, if you have smoked in your lifetime, talk to your doctor and he or she can discuss if it makes sense to screen you,” Galiatsatos said.