November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month

The Healing Project wants to reach out to the lung cancer community during Lung Cancer Awareness Month. One of our first publication’s, was Voices of Lung Cancer, an anthology of stories of patients, caregivers and family members. It may be purchased at Amazon. This is a community that must come into the light as it is one of the three leading causes of death in America.

The Healing Project also offers a free publication, Lung Cancer: What the Patient and Family Need to Know by Reed Phillips, MD. This patient guide includes information about talking with your doctor, choosing the right doctor, choosing the right surgeon and getting a second opinion.

Lung Cancer Awareness Month Public Service Announcement

Lung Cancer Awareness Month (LCAM) is a national campaign dedicated to increasing attention to lung cancer issues. By organizing rallies, distributing educational material, holding fund-raising events, contacting Congress, and speaking to the media, those involved in LCAM bring much-needed support and attention to a disease that each year kills more people than breast, prostate, colon and pancreas cancers combined.

Regrettably, the view that lung cancer is a self-afflicted condition, and therefore should receive minimal funding is unenlightened. One could extend this same argument to numerous other conditions including but not limited to cervical cancer, HIV/AIDS, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injury and Type II Diabetes. If we only accounted for people who never smoked, 20,000 to 25,000 people who be diagnosed with lung cancer and would still represent one of the 10 largest causes of death in US. It is time to be enlightened and find a cure.

A Couple of Facts from Lungevity (LUNGevity is the premier grant-making nonprofit organization funding lung cancer research and providing support to the lung cancer community):
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.

Approximately 50% of the people diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked or are former smokers.

Lung cancer accounts for approximately 29% of all cancer deaths.

Lung cancer kills more Americans each year than breast, prostate, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers combined.

Lung cancer kills more than three times as many men each year than prostate cancer.

Lung cancer kills more women each year than breast, ovarian, uterine, and cervical cancers combined.

In 2007, an estimated 213,380 people will be newly diagnosed with lung cancer, and an estimated 160,390 people will die of lung cancer. An estimated 89,510 of these deaths will be men and an estimated 70,880 will be women.

Lung cancer kills 84% of newly diagnosed patients within five years. The survival rate is 49% for cases detected when the disease is localized to the lung, but only 16% of lung cancers are diagnosed that early.

More than 7% of American men and women will be diagnosed with lung cancer in the course of their lifetime.

The 5-year survival rate for…
Breast cancer has reached 88%
Prostate cancer – 99%
Colon cancer – 63%
Lung Cancer – 15%!

In 2007, approximately $1,633 will be spent on research per lung cancer death, compared with:
$13,471 per breast cancer death
$11,298 per prostate cancer death
$4,774 per colorectal cancer death
Lung Cancer has the lowest survival rate of any other cancer but continues to receive the least amount of funding per death!

In fact, Joan’s Legacy, one of our sister 501 (c)’s The Joan Scarangello Foundation to Conquer Lung Cancer is committed to fight lung cancer by funding innovative research and increasing awareness of the world’s leading cancer killer, with a special focus on non-smoking-related lung cancer.

Can Research Make a Difference?

Certainly, one only has to remember the enormous progress made in Breast Cancer in the last two decades to realize that a deadly killer can evolve into a chronic condition.

We ask all those afflicted to visit clintrials.gov and participate in both diagnostic and therapeutic trials. It is the only way to find a cure.

For more information about Lung Cancer Awareness Month contact:
Lung Cancer Alliance
888 16th Street NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20006
(800) 298-2436 Lung Cancer Hotline
(202) 463-2080
(202) 355-1396 Fax
info@lungcanceralliance.org
http://www.blogger.com/www.lungcanceralliance.org
Materials available
Contact: Kay Cofrancesco