Women and Lung Cancer: Time to Turn the Tide

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NOTE: This is a guest blog post from Arielle Densen. Arielle is a co-founder of Leaders of the Lung Cancer Free World, a lung cancer advocacy group, and created the James Sivartsen Prize in Pediatric Cancer Research at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. For the past six years, Arielle has served as a wish granter for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

There will be more than 220,000 people diagnosed with lung cancer in 2011. They will be our brothers, sisters, grandparents, co-workers, closest friends. They will be our parents.

Last year, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. She’s never smoked. That’s a fact that I always feel obligated to share when talking about her diagnosis, but sincerely hope one day won’t be such an entrenched part of the lung cancer conversation.

Our family was shocked by the diagnosis and even more appalled to learn that lung cancer is the No. 1 cancer killer among both men and women, accounting for more than 1 in 4 cancer deaths. Surely, we thought, a cancer this prevalent and virulent – one that kills 80 percent more women than breast cancer – must receive significant government funding and public support. We were wrong.

Women Paying a Fearsome Price

As a daughter, my thoughts quickly turned to the more than 105,000 women who are diagnosed with lung cancer each year. This is a disease that kills more women annually than breast, ovarian and uterine cancers combined. Over the last several decades, women have come powerfully and effectively together to organize, mobilize and build critical public awareness and support for the diseases that threaten them most, particularly heart disease and breast cancer. With lung cancer diagnoses among women up six-fold since 1930, I couldn’t understand why women had not applied the same conviction, energy and savvy to lung cancer. Then I looked at the numbers.

Lung cancer is poised to take the lives of 71,000 women this year and up to now, there hasn’t been much reason to be hopeful. The overall five-year survival rate lingers at 15 percent, where it has been for decades. While new treatments and funding have propelled the survival rates for breast cancer to 90 percent, lung cancer remains in an unfortunate area of catch up.

With so few survivors, it’s difficult to build and sustain a movement. And for those lucky enough to survive this dreadful disease, a sense of community can be hard to come by.

To show your support for Leaders of the Lung Cancer Free World, please “like” them on Facebook here.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Luna B.

2:04AM PST on Mar 4, 2012

Liked, commented and signed. Wasn't aware of this, but it's a very important cause!

send a green star

Manon G.

11:52AM PST on Mar 3, 2012

Thanks. Petition signed.

Elizabeth O.

11:11AM PST on Mar 3, 2012

Petition and pledge signed.

Joe R.

5:03AM PST on Mar 3, 2012

Thanks for posting.

Patricia G.

3:33AM PST on Mar 3, 2012

Thanks for the article.

Carole K.

3:47AM PST on Mar 1, 2012

Signed the petition. Thank you for this article & testimony about your mother's lung cancerous condition, Emily. I had no idea that lung cancer strikes more women than breast, ovarian & uterine cancer combined. That's quite a staggering statistic! Thoughts, prayers & hopes that your mother responds well to treatments; & that recovery happens for her. It's important that you included the fact that she never smoked at all in her life; & I further wish that she does not have to face the false "blame the victim" mentality from stupid uncaring people as she battles to save her life.

Valerie A.

3:27PM PST on Feb 29, 2012

Thanks

LMj S.

11:57AM PST on Feb 29, 2012

signed, thank you for article and sharing!

Phil K.

5:30PM PST on Feb 28, 2012

The Foundation works with a diverse group of physicians, organizations, industry partners, individuals, survivors, and their families to identify solutions and make timely and meaningful change. BJALCF was established in 2006 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and has raised over nine million dollars for lung cancer research.
www.lungcancerfoundation.org
SOURCE Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation
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http://www.lungcancerfoundation.org
http://vimeo.com/31583600

5:28PM PST on Feb 28, 2012

There must be a limit of the characters that can be posted in each comment. Hopefully, this will carry the remaining part below:
This law would be a potential model for the other states to follow in how tobacco tax dollars are distributed and allocated. We are firm believers that any funding toward early detection research is well spent and will save countless lives."
In August 2011, the results of the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial, which was a 7-year, $250,000,000 study, were published, proving conclusively that early detection of Lung Cancer can save substantial numbers of lives.
"There are many causes of Lung Cancer and smoking is just one of them," said Addario. "It is time for all states, following the lead of lawmakers in Maryland to direct more funding to early detection and Lung Cancer research. We strongly urge our representatives to base funding decisions on the facts that are most important. Anyone can get Lung Cancer. Someday we may know all the causes for all cancers, but in the meantime, we desperately need to fund the kinds of research that will extend lives and turn Lung Cancer into a chronic manageable disease."
About the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation
BJALCF is one of the largest philanthropies (patient-founded, patient-focused, patient-driven) devoted exclusively to eradicating Lung Cancer through research, early detection, education, and treatment. The Foundation works with a diverse group of physicians, organizations, industry partne