'A nonsmoker my entire life': News anchor Kaity Tong says she has been diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Renowned New York news anchor Kaity Tong has been diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer, the 76-year-old has announced on Instagram. “Hello from Home. I have some news to share. I was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. Me, a nonsmoker my entire life!” she began the post on Saturday morning, December 16.

Tong has worked at PIX 11 News since 1992 and now anchors on the station’s 5 pm and 10 pm news broadcasts. She had no symptoms prior to the diagnosis, she penned. “It was through a routine chest X-ray after an especially bad cold that my cancer was detected,” she said, according to Daily Mail. 

Kaity Tong said the diagnosis is common for her race

Tong, who is a native of China, went on to explain that the diagnosis is actually common for those of her race and hopes to educate others on the issue. “But the doctors told me this diagnosis is increasingly common among Asians, especially women, who are nonsmokers. That would be me. And maybe that’s YOU. And that’s why I’m sharing this,” she wrote. 

“If you fit this profile I urge you to talk with your doctor and determine whether you should get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms … If my journey encourages even one person who fits this profile to get a checkup leading to early detection, I will be grateful," she added.

Kaity Tong had surgery to remove the tumor

The broadcast journalist had surgery to remove the tumor at Memorial Sloan Kettering and is recovering at home and planning to return to work by mid-January, she wrote. “I am now cancer-free. No chemo or radiation needed. And a very low chance of recurrence,” she said.

“It’s been a slow but steady recovery. Mainly to restore my breathing to normal and to help the rest of my lungs compensate for the loss of one lobe. Baby steps," Tong added.

Tong has won multiple Emmy Awards for her work, and was honored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences with the Governor’s Emmy Award in 2018 “for her four decades of presenting the news with integrity and compassion.”

According to the outlet, 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 in their lifetime, and more than 127,000 lives are lost annually. A recent report by the ACS found that young women are suffering higher rates of lung cancer than men.