"WTF" for LC Interview with Desperate Housewives' Kathryn Joosten

Friend and fellow Lung Cancer advocate, Jennifer Windrum, has started a new campaign. Below is an interview she did recently with Kathryn Joosten. Check out her other efforts below:

Blog: http://wtflungcancer.posterous.com/

Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=161802317682&ref=ts

Twitter: http://twitter.com/wtflungcancer

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/jenniferjwindrum

3 days left!

Team Haney is just 3 days away from our walk. We've reached 40% of our goal - a little over $8000! I am so proud of our team and want to thank everyone who has contributed or supported us in some way.

With every donation made, we are closer to finding a cure for the biggest cancer-killer!

Even if you are unable to contribute, please read on. Increasing awareness of this disease and its victims will help our cause as well.

Lung cancer kills more than 160,000 people annually in the US – more people than breast, prostate, and colon, liver, kidney and melanoma cancers combined. Lung cancer kills almost twice as many American women as breast cancer and more than three times as many men as prostate cancer annually. Despite this, research funding for lung cancer lags behind many other common cancers and common diseases, such that treatments for lung cancer patients - although slowly improving - are insufficient to meet the challenges of this deadly disease.

The survival rates for colon, breast and prostate cancer are now 67% 89% and 99% respectively. Lung cancer’s survival
rate is still only 15%.

More facts:
http://www.nationallungcancerpartnership.org/index.cfm?page=lung_cancer_facts_US
http://www.nationallungcancerpartnership.org/index.cfm?page=lung_cancer_info

http://participate.freetobreathe.org/goto/teamhaney

Free to Breathe Event Update - 16 days left - Please help us reach our goal!

We now have over 60 members on Team Haney! Since my last post, we've gone from 16% to 27% of our goal - but still need your help! Please take a moment to visit the following URL from the Lung Cancer Partnership and consider donating (even if its just a few dollars!) to our cause:

Did you know that lung cancer kills more than 160,000 people annually in the US – more people than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined? Get the facts:
http://www.nationallungcancerpartnership.org/index.cfm?page=lung_cancer_facts_US

If you are in the Bloomsburg area, check out the fundraisers we are holding locally: http://lungcancerawareness.blogspot.com/2009/09/free-to-breathe-event-update-38-days.html

To follow our progress or make a donation to the team or one of its members visit: http://participate.freetobreathe.org/goto/teamhaney

Free to Breathe Event Update - 29 days left - Please help us reach our goal!

We now have 40 members on Team Haney! Registration closes on 10/15, so if you'd like to join our team, please make sure to do so this week: http://participate.freetobreathe.org/goto/teamhaney

In less then 3 weeks we've nearly tripled our amount raised, but we still need your help! We're just 16% of the way to our goal. Please read the following note that Steph wrote recently and consider donating (even if its just a few dollars!) to our cause:

Remember that lung cancer is the leading cancer killer. It kills more people than breast, prostate, colon, liver, kidney and melanoma cancers…COMBINED! It kills almost twice as many women as breast cancer. And that amounts to about 440 people per day. Only 15% of lung cancer patients survive more than five years, with most of those having been early, and probably accidental, diagnoses. 2007 research spending per death for lung cancer, $1,414 (a decrease from 2005), and $23,754 for breast cancer (an increase from 2005).

If you are in the Bloomsburg area, check out the fundraisers we are holding locally: http://lungcancerawareness.blogspot.com/2009/09/free-to-breathe-event-update-38-days.html

To follow our progress or make a donation to the team or one of its members visit: http://participate.freetobreathe.org/goto/teamhaney

Free to Breathe Event Update - 38 days left and October fundraisers

Our team is up to 34 members!! We are at 9% of our fundraising goal with 38 days remaining until the walk on November 7th.

In the month of October, Team Haney is partnering with two restaurants in Bloomsburg to raise funds for the National Free to Breathe Walk. All you need to do is download a coupon via the URLs below, which you will present to your server while you dine on the designated date. Please pass these along to your family, friends and co-workers!

October 13th, 2009: Quaker Steak and Lube will donate 10% of your bill from 4pm until close
Download the coupon here: http://snipurl.com/quakersteakcoupon

October 22nd, 2009: Pizza Hut will donate 20% of your purchase from 11am-8pm
Download the coupon here: http://snipurl.com/pizzahutcoupon


To follow our progress or make a donation visit: http://participate.freetobreathe.org/goto/teamhaney

Free to Breathe Event Update - 47 days left and upcoming fundraisers

47 days left and we now have 27 team members with $1,215.00 raised!

We will be having two local restaurant fundraisers this month. During the times listed below, our team will receive a portion of the bill of anyone who presents a coupon:

1. Quaker Steak and Lube: Tuesday, 10/13 from 4pm-close (10:30/11pm)
2. Pizza Hut: Thursday, 10/22 from 11am-8pm

If you are interested in obtaining a coupon, please send your email address to racheltroychock@hotmail.com.

Lung cancer report:

Lung cancer report: "They said it was bronchitis" Health: self.com

"Montessa Lee's chest hurt. The stabbing pain that started in September 2006 seemed to come out of nowhere: She wasn't sick, exercised regularly, ate a healthy vegetarian diet and didn't smoke.

...lung cancer rates are higher among women who have never smoked than in male never-smokers. Experts suspect that estrogen—a female hormone that can act as a tumor promoter—may be one factor in the gender difference. And a delayed diagnosis could be deadly: Some tumors are fast-growing and can double in size in as few as two weeks, Dr. Bepler says.

"Anyone who has lungs can get lung cancer," Lee stresses. "

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Free to Breathe Event Update - 57 days left!

Only 57 days until our walk on November 11th. Our team is up to 23 members and has pulled in $735 so far! If you'd like to join our team, follow the link below and select "Join Team":

http://participate.freetobreathe.org/goto/teamhaney

You can make a contribution to the team from this site, or select an individual team member to sponsor.

Thank you all for your support!

Does Cancer Make You Strong?

Great article...perspective that's not often discussed or acknowledged. The sentiment is intended to be kind, but it can also put a lot of pressure on a person to constantly have to hear how strong they are or that a positive attitude will make all the difference. Is it really that simple? Are we to feel like we're failing then when we're weak, sad, and generally sick of this crap?

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/does-cancer-make-you-strong/

What would YOU give to cure cancer?

Study: Lung Cancer Pill Works for Some Patients

Four years after the government severely restricted its use, the lung cancer drug Iressa may be poised to make a comeback: A study concludes it can slow the deadly disease better than standard chemotherapy in certain patients.

Read more:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=8367483

Are Candles Making You Sick?

From the article:

The candles, which are made from petroleum, are a source of known human carcinogens and indoor pollution, researchers said in a study to be presented Wednesday at the American Chemical Society's national meeting in Washington, D.C.

In the study, R. Massoudi and Amid Hamidi found that candles made from beeswax or soy, although more expensive, apparently are safer because they do not release potentially harmful pollutants.

"An occasional paraffin candle and its emissions will not likely affect you," Hamidi said in a news release. "But lighting many paraffin candles every day for years or lighting them frequently in an unventilated bathroom around a tub, for example, may cause problems."

http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/allr/630066.html

'Trojan horse' drug shows cancer benefit

"A drug that takes advantage of cancer cells's appetite for the vitamin folate helped keep lung cancer at bay in 30 percent of patients with advanced disease, the chief executive of Endocyte said on Monday."

Read more:

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=117&art_id=nw20090811093249211C692312

Free to Breathe Event Update

Team Haney is up to 11 members this week and with 13 weeks until the event we've already raised $325 without any fundraisers! Check back soon as we're looking to partner with one of the local restaurants for a fundraiser within the next month or so. If you'd like to join our team, follow the link below and select "Join Team":

http://participate.freetobreathe.org/goto/teamhaney

You can make a contribution to the team from this site, or select an individual team member to sponsor.

Thank you all for your support!

Cancer vaccine testing readied for Pitt development

Some people appear to be immune to overproducing a protein associated with many cancers, giving doctors hope that they hold the key to developing a vaccine against breast, lung, and head and neck cancers.

And when University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists tested such a vaccine in mice, it allowed them to fight off exposure to cancerous cells, according to a report published late Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Read more: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_636633.html

Blood Test May Diagnose Lung Cancer

From the article:

A blood test that detects nine compounds in blood may offer a safe way to diagnose early cases of lung cancer, Celera Corporation reported on Tuesday.

Such a test would allow quick treatment of lung cancer, which is usually not detected before it has spread, Celera, a newly independent division of Applera Corp. said in a statement.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5736F020090804

Kathryn Joosten of Desperate Housewives Talks About Lung Cancer

Cost Effectiveness of Cancer Drugs is Questioned

"The widespread use of expensive cancer drugs to prolong patients’ lives by just weeks or months was called into question by an article published Monday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute."

Read more:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052970203872404574258302761872972.html

Equality and Better Treatment Sought for Lung Cancer Patients

http://www.dailynews.com/lalife/ci_12680005

An excerpt from the article:

Weitz, who is one of the 215,000 people diagnosed each year with lung cancer, knows what others think: "You did it to yourself," the Woodland Hills man said.

But Weitz never smoked cigarettes - did nothing he knows of that would infect the delicate tissue of his lungs.

Yet even for those with lung cancer who have never smoked, the condition comes with a negative stereotype. They often are asked, "Did you smoke?"

It's a perception health advocates say needs to be shattered. Why, they ask, should state or federal funding toward the detection and treatment of lung cancer be any different than, say, for illnesses associated with obesity, alcoholism or other kinds of cancer?

"We have to get to the point of saying it doesn't matter," said Kim Norris, a Los Angeles resident who founded the Lung Cancer Foundation of America.

The foundation's goal is to raise enough funds to lead to lung cancer research and treatment. The five-year survival rates for all stages of lung cancer haven't changed in decades, a result of little progress toward finding better treatments, Norris said.

Norris and others note that research for lung cancer treatment remains "under-funded, under-researched and under-reported," because government funders view it as the "the black sheep" of cancers.

"Just because smoking is legal - and the Department of Defense once handed out cigarettes during wars - doesn't mean (those who smoked) deserve (lung cancer)."

Does Lung Cancer Get Short Shrift?

An excerpt:

Lung cancer kills almost 162,000 Americans each year, more than any other type of malignancy, and yet it gets less research funding per death than any other major cancer. Breast cancer, which gets far more attention, kills about 30,000 fewer women per year than lung cancer does.

And the fastest growing group of lung cancer patients are women like Ms. Alfano, who never smoked.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09172/978938-114.stm?cmpid=relatedarticle#ixzz0NGtcC2La

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09172/978938-114.stm?cmpid=relatedarticle

Audio clip from NPR: Non-Smokers Suffer Lung Cancer Stigma

Great 4 minute clip:

"Smoking is such a well-known cause of lung cancer that many don't realize thousands who never smoked get the diagnosis. The great majority are women. Recent research shows it's really a different disease than smoking-related lung cancer. But those with the diagnosis say they suffer the same stigma."

Listen here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106033956&ft=1&f=3

Thank you to Andrea for sending this over!

Lung Cancer Alliance--powerful message

This is an incredibly impactful message. These people are all awesome. Lung Cancer Alliance (http://www.lungcanceralliance.org/) is a national organization. Georgia has a great chapter.

Free to Breathe - November 7th

Join Team Haney in the National Walk event for Free to Breathe on November 7th, 2009!

Check on our status, donate, or join our group here: http://participate.freetobreathe.org/goto/teamhaney

You can also join an event near you. Follow the link below for more details:
http://www.freetobreathe.com

Lung Cancer in American Women: Facts

From the National Lung Cancer Partnership:

• Of the over 215,000 cases of lung cancer diagnosed in the U.S. each year, more than 100,300 (47%) are in women. Over 71,000 women die from lung cancer annually, accounting for 26 percent of cancer deaths among women. ¹



• One in 16 women will develop lung cancer in her lifetime.¹



• Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer of women in the U.S. ¹



• Lung cancer kills 30,000 more women than breast cancer annually in the U.S. ¹



• Lung cancer takes the lives of more women each year than breast, ovarian and uterine cancers combined. ¹



• The five year survival rate for lung cancer is only 16 percent compared to an 89 percent five year survival rate for breast cancer. ^{1, 2}



• 1 in 5 women with lung cancer has never smoked (in men with lung cancer, only 1 in 10 has never smoked).1 Women who have never smoked may be more at risk for lung cancer than men who have never smoked.³



• Of the approximately 20,000-25,000 never-smokers diagnosed with lung cancer in the U.S. each year, more than 60 percent of them are women. ⁴



• Of the approximately 3,400 people who die from lung cancer in the U.S. annually due to exposure from second-hand smoke, 2,200 (65%) of them are women. ⁵




• Some evidence suggests that women may be more sensitive than men to the cancer-causing effects of chemicals in cigarettes.^6-12




• Approximately 9 percent of women diagnosed with lung cancer are younger then 50 years old, compared to 7 percent of men with lung cancer. ¹³




• Women are more likely than men to get a sub-type of lung cancer called bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC).13 The incidence of BAC appears to be rising worldwide. ^15-17



• Women typically fare better than men after treatment for lung cancer. ^{13, 18-22}



• Women with lung cancer are more likely than their male counterparts to have specific genetic mutations.9, 23-28 These mutations may be involved in lung cancer risk.



• Research indicates that the female hormone estrogen may be involved in lung cancer risk in women. ^29-32



• Lung cancer research is significantly under-funded. In 2007, the National Cancer Institute spent approximately $1,415 per lung cancer death, compared to $13,991 per breast cancer death, $10,945 per prostate cancer death, and $4,952 per colorectal cancer death. ^33-34


How Can I Reduce My Risk?


• If you smoke, get the help you need to quit (state quitlines can be accessed at http://www.naquitline.org/ or by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW).




• If you live in an area with high levels of radon coming from the bedrock (see http://www.epa.gov/radon/ ), consider having your house tested for radon exposure. If radon levels are too high, a device can be installed to reduce them.




• Eat a well-balanced diet and exercise. These activities help reduce the risk of all cancers.



• If you smoke now or smoked in the past, or have a family history of lung cancer, consider speaking to your doctor about screening tests that may be available to you. Cancer is most treatable when it is detected early.


References Cited

1. American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts and Figures 2008. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2008.
2. American Cancer Society, Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2005-2006. Atlanta: American Cancer Society, Inc.
3. Wakelee, H.A., et al., Lung Cancer Incidence in Never Smokers. J Clin Oncol, 2007. 25(5): p. 472-8.
4. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2005. 54(25):625-628
5. California Environmental Protection Agency. Proposed identification of environmental tobacco smoke as a toxic air contaminant-June 2005. California Environmental Protection Agency, California Air Resources Board, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment; 2005.
6. International Early Lung Cancer Action Program Investigators, Women’s susceptibility to tobacco carcinogens and survival after diagnosis of lung cancer. JAMA, 2006. 296(2): p. 180-84.
7. Henschke, C.I. and O.S. Miettinen, Women's susceptibility to tobacco carcinogens. Lung Cancer, 2004. 43(1): p. 1-5.
8. Nordlund, L.A., J.M. Carstensen, and G. Pershagen, Are male and female smokers at equal risk of smoking-related cancer: evidence from a Swedish prospective study. Scand J Public Health, 1999. 27(1): p. 56-62.
9. Tang, D.L., et al., Associations between both genetic and environmental biomarkers and lung cancer: evidence of a greater risk of lung cancer in women smokers. Carcinogenesis, 1998. 19(11): p. 1949-53.
10. Zang, E.A. and E.L. Wynder, Differences in lung cancer risk between men and women: examination of the evidence. J Natl Cancer Inst, 1996. 88(3-4): p. 183-92.
11. Risch, H.A., et al., Are female smokers at higher risk for lung cancer than male smokers? A case-control analysis by histologic type. Am J Epidemiol, 1993. 138(5): p. 281-93.
12. Harris, R.E., et al., Race and sex differences in lung cancer risk associated with cigarette smoking. Int J Epidemiol, 1993. 22(4): p. 592-9.
13. Fu, J.B., et al., Lung cancer in women: analysis of the national Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Chest, 2005. 127(3): p. 768-77.
14. Moore, R., et al., Sex differences in survival in non-small cell lung cancer patients 1974-1998. Acta Oncol, 2004. 43(1): p. 57-64.
15. Jackman, D.M., L.R. Chirieac, and P.A. Janne, Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma: a review of the epidemiology, pathology, and treatment. Semin Respir Crit Care Med, 2005. 26(3): p. 342-52.
16. Furak., J., et al., Bronchioloalveolar lung cancer: occurrence, surgical treatment and survival. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg, 2003. 23(5): p. 818-23.
17. Barsky, S.H., et al., Rising incidence of bronchioloalveolar lung carcinoma and its unique clinicopathologic features. Cancer, 1994. 73(4): p. 163-70.
18. Kris, M.G., et al., Efficacy of gefitinib, an inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase, in symptomatic patients with non-small cell lung cancer: a randomized trial. Jama, 2003. 290(16): p. 2149-58.
19. Fukuoka, M., et al., Multi-institutional randomized phase II trial of gefitinib for previously treated patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. J Clin Oncol, 2003. 21(12): p. 2237-46.
20. Alexiou, C., et al., Do women live longer following lung resection for carcinoma? Eur J Cardiothorac Surg, 2002. 21(2): p. 319-25.
21. de Perrot, M., et al., Sex differences in presentation, management, and prognosis of patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 2000. 119(1): p. 21-6.
22. Albain, K.S., J.J. Crowley, M. LeBlanc, and R.B. Livingston. Determinants of improved outcome in small-cell lung cancer: an analysis of the 2,580-patient Southwest Oncology Group database. J Clin Oncol. 1990. 8(9): p. 1563-74.
23. Toyooka, S., T. Tsuda, and A.F. Gazdar, The TP53 gene, tobacco exposure, and lung cancer. Hum Mutat, 2003. 21(3): p. 229-39.
24. Mollerup, S., et al., Sex differences in lung CYP1A1 expression and DNA adduct levels among lung cancer patients. Cancer Res, 1999. 59(14): p. 3317-20.
25. Nelson, H.H., et al., Implications and prognostic value of K-ras mutation for early-stage lung cancer in women. J Natl Cancer Inst, 1999. 91(23): p. 2032-8.
26. Kure, E.H., et al., p53 mutations in lung tumours: relationship to gender and lung DNA adduct levels. Carcinogenesis, 1996. 17(10): p. 2201-5.
27. Dresler, C.M., et al., Gender differences in genetic susceptibility for lung cancer. Lung Cancer, 2000. 30(3): p. 153-60.
28. Ryberg, D., et al., Different susceptibility to smoking-induced DNA damage among male and female lung cancer patients. Cancer Res, 1994. 54(22): p. 5801-3.
29. Stabile L.P. and J.M. Estrogen receptor pathways in lung cancer. Curr Oncol Rep. 2004 6(4): p. 259-67.
30. Stabile, L.P., et al., Human non-small cell lung tumors and cells derived from normal lung express both estrogen receptor alpha and beta and show biological responses to estrogen. Cancer Res, 2002. 62(7): p. 2141-50.
31. Fasco, M.J., G.J. Hurteau, and S.D. Spivack, Gender-dependent expression of alpha and beta estrogen receptors in human nontumor and tumor lung tissue. Mol Cell Endocrinol, 2002. 188(1-2): p. 125-40.
32. Mooney, L.A., et al., Gender differences in autoantibodies to oxidative DNA base damage in cigarette smokers. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev, 2001. 10(6): p. 641-8.
33. American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2007. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2007.
34. National Cancer Institute snapshots: http://planning.cancer.gov/disease/snapshots.shtml


Please refer to our site for more detailed information.

Father loses battle with lung cancer

John Atkinson, father of three young children, advocate and inspiration to many recently lost his battle with lung cancer.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Lung Cancer in Never-Smokers--Unique Characteristics

See video linked below for a science-based look at how lung cancer differs as a disease between never-smokers and those who smoked. These distinctions help to understand lung cancer as a disease for both sub-populations, not to serve as a basis for further blame or suggest that one group is less deserving than another.

http://cancergrace.org/lung/2009/05/21/vodcast-never-smoker-lc/

Lung Cancer in the United States: Facts

From the National Lung Cancer Partnership:

* Approximately 219,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in the U.S. each year – over 103,000 women and nearly 116,000 men.

* Lung cancer kills more than 160,000 people annually – more people than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined.

* Lung cancer is responsible for more than 28% of all cancer-related deaths every year.

*Smoking is the primary cause of lung cancer. Approximately 87 percent of lung cancer cases occur in people who are currently smoking or have previously smoked.

*Although the risk of developing lung cancer goes down with smoking cessation, a significant risk remains for 20 years or longer after quitting.

*Approximately 50 percent of all lung cancers (106,500) occur in people who have already quit smoking.

* Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer, and the leading cause of lung cancer among never-smokers.

*More people who have never smoked die from lung cancer than do people from AIDS or liver cancer or ovarian cancer.

* Risk factors for lung cancer other than those from smoking include lung scarring from tuberculosis, and occupational or environmental exposures to radon, second-hand smoke, radiation, asbestos, air pollution, arsenic and some organic chemicals.

* Only 16 percent of lung cancer patients are diagnosed before their disease has spread to other parts of their bodies, (e.g., regional lymph nodes and beyond), compared to more than 50 percent of breast cancer patients, and 90 percent of prostate cancer patients.

* Men’s mortality (death) rates from lung cancer began declining more than 20 years ago, while women’s lung cancer mortality rates have been rising for decades and just recently began to stabilize.9

* African Americans experience the highest incidence of lung cancer, and the highest death rate.10

* Roughly 84 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer die within five years of their diagnosis, compared to 11 percent of breast cancer and less than 1 percent of prostate cancer patients.1

* Less money is spent on lung cancer research than on research on other cancers. In 2007, the National Cancer Institute estimated it spent only it spent only $1,415 per lung cancer death compared to $13,991 per breast cancer death, $10,945 per prostate cancer death, and $4,952 per colorectal cancer.1, 11

How Can I Reduce My Risk?

* If you smoke, get the help you need to quit (state quitlines can be accessed at www.naquitline.org or by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW).

* If you live in an area with high levels of radon coming from the bedrock (see www.epa.gov/radon), consider having your house tested for radon exposure. If radon levels are too high, a device can be installed to reduce them.

*Eat a well-balanced diet and exercise. These activities help reduce the risk of all cancers.

* If you smoke now or smoked in the past, or have a family history of lung cancer, consider speaking to your doctor about screening tests that may be available to you. Cancer is most treatable when it is detected early.

References Cited

1. American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts and Figures 2009. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2009.
2. Satcher, D., T.G. Thompson and J.P. Kaplan, Women and smoking: a report of the Surgeon General. Nicotine Tob Res, 2002. 4(1): p. 7-20.
3. Ebbert, J.O., et al., Lung cancer risk reduction after smoking cessation: observations from a prospective cohort of women. J Clin Oncol, 2003. 21(5): p. 921-6.
4. Tong, L., M.R. Spitz, J.J. Fueger, and C.A. Amos, Lung carcinoma in former smokers. Cancer, 1996. 78(5): p. 1004-10.
5. National Research Council, Health Effects of Exposure to Radon: BEIR V. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1999.
6. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2005; 54(25):625-628
7. Hoyert, D.L., M.P. Heron, S.L. Murphy, H. Kung. Deaths: Final Data for 2003. National vital statistics reports; 54(13). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2006.
8. American Cancer Society, Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2005-2006. Atlanta: American Cancer Society, Inc.
9. Jemal, A., R.C. Tiwari, T. Murray, A. Ghafoor, A. Samuels, E. Ward, E.J. Feuer, and M.J. Thun, Cancer statistics, 2004. CA Cancer J Clin, 2004. 54(1): p. 8-29.
10. Centers for disease Control and Prevention, Health, United States, 2006 National Center for Health Statistics: Atlanta, GA. p. 180, 244.
11. National Cancer Institute Snapshots: http://planning.cancer.gov/disease/snapshots.shtml

Last updated 06/09/09

Please refer to our site for more detailed information.

Kaleidoscope and Olivia Newton John

Lung cancer is finally considered a women's cancer... Yeah! (Good thing, since it is the biggest cancer killer of women, by far, killing almost twice as many women as breast cancer.) We've been overlooked for a long time...perhaps a shift in thinking is (slowly) on its way!

See folks from ASCO and Olivia Newton-John highlight the new Kaleidoscope program (an extension from the Frosted Pink initiative to include more women in the fold).

Personalized Cancer Care

Personalized Cancer Care

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New Evidence Suggests Link between Lung Cancer, Hormones in Women - ASCO

New Evidence Suggests Link between Lung Cancer, Hormones in Women - ASCO

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New Research Focuses on Benefits of Targeted Agents in the Treatment of Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer - ASCO

New Research Focuses on Benefits of Targeted Agents in the Treatment of Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer - ASCO

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Cancer Talk Show this Sunday

Note from the Lung Cancer Alliance group on Facebook:

This Sunday, May 3 from 4-6 pm EDT, The Group Room cancer talk radio show will focus entirely on lung cancer. The show will provide information on clinical trials, patient stories and lung cancer advocacy. LCA is the Advocacy in Action organization of the week! LCA-CA Co-chair Mike Stevens and LCA-MA Co-chair, Diane Legg will talk about lung cancer advocacy in their states. Throughout the two hour show, they take live questions or comments, so tune in and be a part of the discussion at 1-800 GRP-Room and visit the show's website, www.thegrouproom.tv. Tune in on Sunday!

New York Times - Patient Voices: Lung Cancer

Amazing interviews with real people battling Lung Cancer. Listen to them here:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/04/23/health/healthguide/TE_LUNGCANCER.html

From the site:

It is estimated that there were 215,020 new cases of lung cancer diagnosed in the United States in 2008, and 161,840 deaths. What is it like to live with the No. 1 cancer killer? Six men and women speak about living with lung cancer.

BREATH OF HOPE: Lung Cancer The Invisible Disease

This one hour documentary just started airing last week. About the film:

BREATH OF HOPE: Lung Cancer The Invisible Disease is an hour-long documentary seeking to educate the public about lung cancer – in particular non-small cell lung cancer.

Through five poignant patient stories in five different states across the U.S., viewers witness the struggles and triumphs of lung cancer patients and their families.

The documentary also explores new therapies on the horizon and the latest genetic markers that may offer hope for extending survival.

merkerson-2Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning American actress S. Epatha Merkerson, best known as Lt. Anita Van Buren on the long-running television crime drama Law & Order, hosts the documentary. Merkerson lost two friends to lung cancer and helped her sister fight her way to a cure.

Check airing times here: http://breathofhope.net/?page_id=331

Lung Cancer 101: http://breathofhope.net/?page_id=15

Please sign the petition to increase Federal Lung Cancer Funding

The National Lung Cancer Partnership has started a petition, via Facebook, to increase Federal funding for lung cancer research. If you are here, you probably are already aware of why this is important, but for those who aren't:

Lung cancer continues to be the biggest cancer killer in every ethnic group, taking more lives each year than breast, prostate, colon, kidney, melanoma and liver cancers combined. Yet lung cancer continues to be allotted the least research funding per death of all the major cancers.

About 25,000-30,000 never-smokers die each year of this disease (just this sub-group is more than die of leukemia, lymphoma, liver or ovarian cancers)!

Over 160,000 people die annually from lung cancer. In fact, it kills twice as many women as breast cancer. Eight years ago, a federal study group warned the National Cancer Institute that lung cancer research was being funded far below its massive public health impact. The Surgeon General even called lung cancer in women an ‘epidemic’.”

Please sign the petition.

LCA Partners with Find a Cure Panel‏

I received this announcement via Facebook this week and would encourage any of you who are currently battling, survivors or caregivers to sign-up.

Lung Cancer Alliance is now working with Find a Cure Panel, a company that helps coordinate research, primarily around products and services. They are looking for lung cancer survivors and caregivers.

Please consider participating in this online research by signing up to participate in a Lung Cancer Panel. If you sign up to be on the Lung Cancer Panel, you will receive periodic emails asking if you are interested in participating in a market research study.

You will be asked to voice your opinion about a range of products and services relevant to lung cancer survivors and caregivers. The feedback that companies get from you will be useful in developing products and services that will be more helpful to survivors and caregivers in the future, so your opinions are really valuable.

There’s an added bonus. Each time you participate, a $25 minimum donation will be made to Lung Cancer Alliance. Just to be clear, this is a nice bonus for us, but not the primary reason we are working with this initiative.

If you are interested in joining the Panel, please visit this link and sign up: www.findacurepanel.com/lca

Breathe Life Campaign

From the Lung Cancer Foundation Site:

This spring, LCFA is honored to be joining forces with OPI, the well-known nail polish company to introduce a new nail polish called Breathe Life. OPI created Breathe Life especially for LCFA, in order to raise awareness of the difficult fight against Lung Cancer. Not only will OPI be distributing Breathe Life to thousands of its customers nationwide, but the company made a generous donation to LCFA, too.

Please, ask your favorite salons in your area to hold SALON DAYS to bring awareness to Lung Cancer. This can be accomplished in a number of ways. Some call to action ideas:

1. Salons can advertise LUNG CANCER SALON DAYS and display the OPI Lung Cancer display case with the BREATHE LIFE nail lacquer. The displays from OPI brings attention to the disparities surrounding Lung Cancer.
2. Salons can agree to give a percentage to sales from customers who use the BREATHE LIFE color with their manicure to Lung Cancer Foundation of America.
3. Salons can agree to ask customers if they would like to donate $1.00 extra to Lung Cancer research with each purchase of a bottle of BREATHE LIFE to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America.
4. Salons can offer manicures and/or pedicures for lung cancer patients at 50% off when using the BREATHE LIFE nail lacquer, asking for a donation to be made to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America.

Read more here.

Clinical Trial Matching Service‏

I received the following message from the Lung Cancer Alliance via Facebook:

Lung Cancer Alliance and EmergingMed have joined forces to make sure patients diagnosed with lung cancer know all of their treatment options - including clinical trials. The matching service is a pre-screening and referral service that quickly identifies clinical trial options that match each person's specific diagnosis, stage and treatment history.

Our Clinical Trial Specialists are available by telephone to guide patients, families and health care professionals through a search of hundreds of lung cancer studies in the United States and Canada. After the first pre-screening conversation, the same clinical trial specialist will follow-up with you by telephone to make sure:

• trial sites call you back.
• your clinical trial questions are answered.
• you receive detailed study information to share with your medical team.
• you are not alone in the process!

Our service is designed to give you more time to discuss clinical trial options with your medical team, and more time to weigh the risks and benefits of all treatment options.

For more information, call 1-800-698-0931

LCA and 14 Other Lung Cancer Organizations Send Letter to NIH and NCI Requesting $100M for Lung Cancer Research

Follow the link below to read the letter sent to the Acting Director of National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Director of National Cancer Institute (NCI) regarding the increase in funding to NIH through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009:

http://www.lungcanceralliance.org/washingtonbriefNIHNCIletter2_27_09.html

Weekly News for 4/23/09

• Lung cancer vaccine 'extends terminal patients lives'

Terminal lung cancer patients are living longer thanks to the world's first registered lung cancer vaccine, a leading Cuban scientist says.

• Sputum cytology, bronchoscopy practical way to detect early lung cancer: study

Sputum cytology and bronchoscopyexaminations could help detecting early central airway lung cancer, researchers of the University of Hong Kong said here Tuesday.

• Smoking Behavior Partially Explains Socioeconomic Inequities In Lung Cancer Incidence

Europeans with the least education have a higher incidence of lung cancer compared with those with the highest education. However, smoking history accounts for approximately half of this risk, according to a new study.

• American writer John Updike dies

John Updike, the kaleidoscopically gifted writer whose quartet of Rabbit Angstrom novels highlighted so vast and protean a body of fiction, verse, essays and criticism as to earn him comparisons with Henry James and Edmund Wilson among American men of letters, died Tuesday. He was 76 and lived in Beverley Farms. Massachusetts.

The cause of death was lung cancer, his publisher, Knopf, said in a statement.

Look Deeper Public Service Announcement

Weekly News for 4/16/09

• Marijuana Cuts Lung Cancer Tumor Growth In Half, Study Shows

The active ingredient in marijuana cuts tumor growth in common lung cancer in half and significantly reduces the ability of the cancer to spread, say researchers at Harvard University who tested the chemical in both lab and mouse studies.

• Second study showed Tarceva with Avastin as first-line maintenance therapy improved progression free survival

“This is the second study to show that people with lung cancer who took the daily pill Tarceva following initial treatment lived longer without their cancer getting worse. We plan to discuss these data with the FDA to determine next steps,” said Hal Barron, M.D., Genentech's senior vice president, development and chief medical officer. “Tumors use different pathways to grow and these results showed that combining medicines targeting two of these pathways instead of one delayed disease progression.”

• As if COPD Isn't Enough - COPD, a Common Risk Factor for Lung Cancer?

Did you know that there is a relationship between COPD and lung cancer? And that this relationship, according to a recent study in the European Respiratory Journal is independent of past smoking history?

• Cat nips owner's lung cancer

Now recovering from surgery to remove cancer from his lung, Adams, 59, is crediting his eight-year-old feline friend Tiger for alerting him and his family doctor to a mass in his lung.

• Lung cancers 'to drop by fifth'

Cancer Research UK analysis suggests that by 2024, 40 per 100,000 people will get the cancer compared with the current rate of 50 per 100,000.

• Health News: Hopes the humble mushroom could stop cancer recurring and stem cells could reverse lung damage
  

In more health stories this week, experts test whether mushrooms could stop cancer coming back and hopes that a new stem cell therapy could reverse a deadly lung disease.

Weekly News for 4/2/09

This morning I did a search via Twitter of posts with the words "Lung Cancer". Below are some highlights of my findings:

• WVU Cancer Center part of national study on new lung cancer drug

"Lung cancer, the deadliest cancer for both men and women, claims more lives than colon, breast and prostate cancers combined. Often the disease does not cause any early symptoms, making diagnosis difficult at a treatable stage. Consequently, more patients are treated for advanced lung cancer than for early stage disease.

The Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center at West Virginia University is among 12 facilities nationwide offering a Phase II clinical trial to assess a new combination therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients who have never received chemotherapy."

• On the Path Productions -- Erasing the Stigma of Lung Cancer

"On The Path Productions LLC, a San Francisco health media company, is spreading the word about lung cancer research and its need for funding. In conjunction with the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, On the Path (OPP) has produced and aired the national Life Love & Health: Special Edition program, examining the stigma associated with this so-called "smokers' disease" and how it may be hindering a search for the cure."

• OSI, Genentech Say Cancer Drug’s Benefits Ends Trial
  

"...clinical trial of the drug Tarceva in lung cancer patients was halted early because the treatment significantly extended the time patients lived without their disease worsening. The report sent OSI shares 16 percent higher, the biggest single-day gain in more than four years."

• Regular physical activity linked to better quality of life in early-stage lung cancer survivors
  

"Survey led by Fox Chase Cancer Center researcher shows how moderate exercise a few times a week might improve the mental and physical health of lung cancer survivors..."

• New study aims to boost lung cancer early detection

"An Australian-first research project is hoping the use of a more delicate screening process to help boost early detection of lung cancer."

• Cuba Approves First Therapeutic Vaccine for Lung Cancer

"Cuba has approved what is believed to be the world's first registered lung cancer vaccine and is offering it to Cuban and foreign patients in its hospitals."

• Peregrine Pharmaceuticals' Bavituximab Achieves Primary Endpoint in First Stage of Phase II Lung Cancer Study

"Preliminary Data Show Seven of 17 Evaluable Patients Achieved an Objective Tumor Response by End of Four Treatment Cycles."

• Avastin, Tarceva combo delays lung cancer advance
  

"A late-stage trial found that combining Genentech Inc's (DNA.N) Avastin with cancer pill Tarceva, which is co-marketed with OSI Pharmaceuticals (OSIP.O), extended the time patients with advanced lung cancer lived without the disease getting worse."

Lung cancer to become major cause of mortality soon

Got this article from new friend/ally, Jennifer Windrum. Highlights below. Perhaps if it becomes the leading cause of mortality it will finally get the attention its deserved for decades.

"Lung cancer will soon become the leading cause of mortality all over the world, Dr Adnan Ali Zaidi, a well-known oncologist at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) said on Saturday. He was addressing a seminar on lung cancer organized by the Seminar Committee at the University of Karachi (KU) Faculty of Pharmacy, in collaboration with Roche Pakistan Ltd...

Dr Zaidi said that 70 percent of lung cancer patients die within a year..."

Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2009 Introduced in US Senate. Take Action Now!‏

From Stephanie:

It is so critical that you help our cause by letting your Senators know that it is time to buck up! All legislation in committee has to be reintroduced in the next legislative session, so we've just gotten over the first hurdle. This would be such a meaningful step in addressing the disease by beginning to level the playing field with other diseases, particularly other cancers.

Go to http://capwiz.com/lungcanceralliance/home/ to express your views about the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act. It's easy. Please.

Lung Cancer Alliance Hails Early Introduction of Comprehensive Lung Cancer Research Legislation

Commends United States Senate Cancer Caucus Co-Chairs

Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Sam Brownback(R-KS) For Their Continued Leadership

Washington, D.C. [January 27, 2009]--Just three weeks into the 111^th Congress, United States Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)and Sam Brownback(R-KS) reintroduced the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2009, legislation authorizing a comprehensive, multi-agency research effort to reduce lung cancer’s mortality.

The Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2009 (attached) declares lung cancer a public health priority, authorizes the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Defense and Veterans Affairs to combine their key assets and to develop a comprehensive and coordinated research program with a goal of cutting lung cancer’s mortality in half by 2016. The first year of the five year bill would be funded at no less than $75 million. Additional sums are authorized as determined by these three agencies in the overall five year plan.

“We could not be more pleased and honored to again be working with these Senate champions who throughout their public service careers have been staunch advocates not just for upgrading cancer research generally, but lung cancer research specifically, said Laurie Fenton Ambrose, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) President & CEO. “By introducing this lung cancer bill so early, these Senate Cancer Caucus Co-chairs are signaling to the President, the Senate and the Country the urgent need to address lung cancer -- now”.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in the United States and world-wide. In 1971, when the National Cancer Act was passed, lung cancer’s 5-year survival rate was 12%. Today, it is only 15% while the 5-year survival rates for breast, prostate and colon cancers have risen to 89%, 99% and 65% respectively. While great progress has been made in tobacco cessation, and needs to continue, 65% of people now being diagnosed with lung cancer are either former smokers or never smokers.

“It’s time for the federal government to step up its efforts and make fighting lung cancer a national priority,” said Senator Feinstein.

“Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women, but efforts to fund research and innovative new drug therapies have been shortchanged when compared to other cancers. This bill would boost funding and expand research into the causes and treatment of this deadly scourge," she said.

Lung cancer has received only a small fraction of research funding as compared to other cancers and diseases, primarily because patients are being blamed for their disease whether they smoked or not and because so few patients survive to advocate for change. In addition, only 16% of lung cancers are being detected at an early curable stage.

“We must make every effort to address lung cancer comprehensively and thus not overlook the import of earlier detection and better disease management. This is how we are going to make a difference in lung cancer mortality,” said Senator Brownback.

“Senators Feinstein and Brownback have never waivered in their commitment to do everything possible to help the entire lung cancer community, said Fenton Ambrose. “All those people and families who have been touched by lung cancer now have a vehicle for change and with everyone pitching in, yes, we can get it passed,” she concluded.

We need your help! Visit www.lungcanceralliance.org and contact your Senators today to encourage their support of the legislation!

Kay Cofrancesco

Director of External Relations

Lung Cancer Alliance

888 16th St., NW

Ste 150

Washington, DC 20006

202-463-2080

202-744-1541(cell)

www.lungcanceralliance.org

President Obama's plan to fight cancer

The below excerpt was taken from: http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/women/

Ovarian cancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer-related death among women in the United States. Because of the lack of early symptoms or a proven screening test, ovarian cancer also has the highest mortality of all cancers of the female reproductive system. President Obama was an original co-sponsor of Johanna's Law, a piece of legislation signed into law in January 2007 that will educate women and increase awareness of ovarian cancer. The President has also supported efforts to combat breast cancer, another leading cause of death among women. He helped pass legislation in the Illinois State Senate to expand insurance coverage for mammograms.

So, the president plans to deal with the 4th leading cause before the first leading cause, which is lung cancer?

Stephanie submitted the following to the Citizen's Briefing Book:

Perhaps no public health policy area is more critically in need of transformation than lung cancer. For decades lung cancer has been the leading cancer killer and to date, no President has ever demanded accountability and change.
Lung cancer continues to be the biggest cancer killer in every ethnic group, taking more lives each year than breast, prostate, colon, kidney, melanoma and liver cancers combined. Yet lung cancer continues to be allotted the least research funding per death of all the major cancers.

Most new patients are diagnosed so late that they die within the first year. I am one of the "lucky" ones, having hit that first year milestone. Lung cancer hits current, former and never smokers. I happen to be a never-smoker diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer fifteen months ago (with no other risk factors, nor a family history of any cancer), and I have to work deliberately every day to not convey to my two small daughters the fear I have about leaving them motherless. I now know many mothers who are planning for their departure from their families due to this horrible disease. About 25,000-30,000 never-smokers die each year of this disease (just this sub-group is more than die of leukemia, lymphoma, liver or ovarian cancers)! Yet patients continue to be blamed for their disease, and the stigma of smoking is still being used to hide the neglect.

No one deserves lung cancer, smoker or not, but in order to understand how dramatically misplaced the blame that stands in our way, the public must realize that the enormous group of people dying from it are quite diverse--one can't form the mental image that he may desire in order to justify the continued ignorance of the true impact of this disease.

Over 160,000 people die annually from lung cancer. In fact, it kills twice as many women as breast cancer. Eight years ago, a federal study group warned the National Cancer Institute that lung cancer research was being funded far below its massive public health impact. The Surgeon General even called lung cancer in women an ‘epidemic’.”

Yet nothing has changed. Lung cancer “policy” has failed. Changing this will require an increase in research funding and more: It needs a commitment, a comprehensive plan of action and a sense of urgency.

Please set a firm goal for your administration: a 50% reduction in lung cancer mortality by 2015. Thank you.

I don't think we'll ever know for sure, but I hope Stephanie's entry made it into the President's Briefing book. Don't get me wrong, I want a cure for all cancers, but to continue to neglect the number 1 cancer killer seems well... neglectful!