An important article form the Cancer Care Team at the Cleveland Clinic. Originally published on 10/21/14 by the Cleveland Clinic.If you think you’re safe from lung cancer because you’ve never smoked, think again. Being a non-smoker doesn’t mean you cannot get lung cancer.
While cigarette smoking is the No. 1 cause of lung cancer, you also can get it from breathing secondhand smoke, being exposed to asbestos or radon, or having a family history of lung cancer. Many people think lung cancer always is the result of a personal choice to smoke cigarettes, and so don’t see lung cancer patients in the same light as, say, a breast cancer patient. However, the vast majority of people who die from lung cancer quit smoking long before they received a lung cancer diagnosis. “There’s a huge stigma associated with lung cancer because the majority of people who die from it are either smokers or former smokers,” says oncologist Nathan Pennell, MD, PhD. “But the fact is that anyone who has lungs can be exposed to toxins and develop lung cancer, so this is a disease that should concern everyone,” Dr. Pennell says. One of the first questions people usually ask when they find out someone has lung cancer is, “Was he (or she) a smoker?” “Tobacco smoke is one of the most addictive substances known to man, and addiction is a disease,” Dr. Pennell says. “Many people who smoke become addicted as teenagers. Whether you’re a smoker or not, nobody deserves to die from lung cancer.” An under-funded area of research More people in the United States die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is true for men and women. But because of the stigma associated with lung cancer, it is difficult for researchers to get funding to try to find a cure. “Public funding has a lot to do with politics, and public opinion doesn’t support lung cancer as it does the so-called ‘blameless cancers’ like breast cancer or prostate cancer,” Dr. Pennell says. “Those types of cancers also have a lot more survivors who can advocate for funding.” There are not enough lung cancer survivors to demand change, Dr. Pennell says. “Those who do survive often blame themselves, so there is a smaller percentage of survivors who are willing to tell their stories,” he says. New breakthroughs in lung cancer treatments Despite funding difficulties, medicine has made progress in lung cancer diagnosis and treatments over the last several years. Genetic testing is one example. “There are many different types of lung cancer. Genetic testing has helped researchers to develop therapies that target specific types of cancer cells,” Dr. Pennell says. Immune-based therapies, in which the immune system is primed to attack tumors, also are showing potential for treating lung cancer, Dr. Pennell says. These therapies already have been approved for treating skin cancer. Development of screening tools such as CT scans help with early identification of lung cancer, too, which Dr. Pennell says “could save tens of thousands of lives.” “Unfortunately, we’re not getting much support from insurers to pay for them,” he says. What you can do to help "Lung cancer research needs financial support," Dr. Pennell says. "Advocating for support for lung cancer research could be the key to funding the research that discovers a cure." “I would encourage survivors, especially those who never smoked, to advocate for lung cancer research and to let people know that progress is being made,” Dr. Pennell says. “We need to get the word out about how important this is to everyone, not just to those who smoke.”
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by Dr. Patricia Thompson Originally published on 23 August 2014 by the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation As a medical oncologist, I treat patients battling a variety of cancers – from common types such as breast and prostate to rare cancers of the brain and bones. But of all the types of cancer I see, none causes patients as much fear and dread as lung cancer. Such distress is understandable. The disease continues to be the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in the U.S. More people die of lung cancer each year than the next three most common types of cancer – breast, colon and pancreatic – combined. According to the American Cancer Society (ACA), lung cancer is expected to claim the lives of nearly 160,000 Americans in 2014, accounting for 27 percent of all U.S. cancer deaths. Another reason lung cancer is feared is that long-term survival rates are very low. Although five-year survival is more than 53 percent for cases detected when the disease is still localized (within the lungs), it drops to less than 4 percent when diagnosed after tumors have spread to other organs. Unfortunately, because lung cancer can be difficult to detect, only 15 percent of cases are diagnosed at an early stage. Although lung cancer rates are falling overall, the rate has been increasing among two groups in particular: women and non-smokers. In fact, according to the National Cancer Institute, over the past 36 years the rate of new lung cancer cases among men has dropped by nearly a quarter, while the rate among women has risen 100 percent. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more women die of lung cancer than breast, uterine and ovarian cancers combined. Another notable trend is the increase in lung cancer among healthy non-smokers. The ACA reports that between 16,000 and 24,000 Americans who have never smoked die from lung cancer every year. If lung cancer in non-smokers were its own category, it would rank among the top 10 fatal cancers in the U.S. For reasons doctors don’t fully understand, most lung cancer cases among non-smokers occur in women. The rise in lung cancer among non-smokers is one reason stigmatizing the disease is increasingly seen as inappropriate. While it’s true the majority of cases continue to be diagnosed among smokers or former smokers, lung cancer can also result from factors over which individuals have little control: genetic mutations, as well as exposure to radon gas, secondhand smoke, air pollution and asbestos, among others. Much more important is to continue improving our methods of detection and treatment. Great progress is being made in both. For example, while chest X-rays are generally the first diagnostic imaging a patient might undergo when lung cancer is suspected, low-dose computed tomography (CT) scans are proving more effective at finding lung tumors earlier, when they are easier to treat. The value of CT scans in early lung cancer detection is making such screening more common. Some medical organizations are now recommending routine lung screening for high-risk patients – defined as individuals 55 to 74 years old with at least a 30-year smoking history, and who currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years. These are also the patients that derive the most benefit from screening. For patients diagnosed with lung cancer, advances in treatment options are offering more hope. In addition to new surgical techniques which no longer require full open-lung surgery, technological advances are making radiation therapy more precise than ever – targeting lung tumors and sparing healthy tissue. With brachytherapy, thin catheters carry radioactive ‘seeds’ to lung tumors to deliver high doses of radiation up close. Chemotherapy is advancing too, with new drugs and medical technologies that can help increase lung cancer survival. One exciting development is immunotherapy, which uses antibodies and man-made proteins to bolster the immune system and train it to attack cancer cells. Ongoing research on human genes is also helping scientists develop therapies specifically targeting the genetic mutations that drive tumor growth. What’s most important to remember about lung cancer is it’s largely preventable, but everyone has some risk. Given recent trends, women should be aware of the signs of lung cancer – a lingering or worsening cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, unexplained weight loss, hoarseness, among others – and not hesitate to seek medical care if concerned. Let’s raise awareness of this terrible disease because awareness helps find a cure. National Grant Available for Squamous Cell Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer. NEW YORK, NY (August 1, 2014) – CancerCare, the leading national nonprofit organization providing free, professional support services and financial assistance to anyone affected by cancer, now has a national grant available for people diagnosed with squamous cell non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The fund will assist both men and women with transportation costs associated with their cancer treatment. Applicants must be diagnosed with squamous cell, a subtype of NSCLC, and meet additional eligibility guidelines. To apply or learn more, call 800-813-HOPE (4673). The program is funded by a generous contribution from Celgene Corporation. CancerCare offers additional free resources through www.lungcancer.org. By visiting the website, patients and loved ones can gain access to oncology social workers who provide both individual and group counseling, in person, over the phone or online, to answer questions, address concerns and provide information about cancer-related issues. Important information is also available on diagnosis, treatment and clinical trials. “CancerCare works with lung cancer patients and survivors every day, and we know a lung cancer diagnosis can be frightening for patients, families and caregivers,” said CancerCare Lung Cancer Program Coordinator Win Boerckel, MSW, MBA, LCSW-R. “Our staff of professionally trained oncology social workers can help to navigate the challenges of a diagnosis with answers, advice and support.” About CancerCare® Founded in 1944, CancerCare is the leading national organization providing free, professional support services and information to help people manage the emotional, practical and financial challenges of cancer. Our comprehensive services include counseling and support groups over the phone, online and in-person, educational workshops, publications and financial and co-payment assistance. All CancerCare services are provided by oncology social workers and world-leading cancer experts. Headquartered in New York, NY, CancerCare maintains three additional locations in Norwalk, CT, Ridgewood, NJ and Syosset, NY. To learn more, visit www.cancercare.org or call 800-813-HOPE (4673). ALCMI Puts Spotlight on Lung Cancer in Young AdultsSan Carlos, Calif. (July 23, 2014) – The Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI) today launched a new study, the Genomics of Young Lung Cancer, to understand why lung cancer occurs in young adults, who quite often are athletic, never smokers and do not exhibit any of the known lung cancer genetic mutations. ALCMI, a patient-centric, international research consortium and partner of the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF), is facilitating this first-of-its-kind, multi- institutional, prospective genomic study in order to identify new genome-defined subtypes of lung cancer and accelerate delivery of more effective targeted therapies. “It’s heartbreaking when you meet young adults with lung cancer, who should have their full lives ahead of them but instead are fighting for their lives because of the lack of lung cancer treatments,” said Bonnie J. Addario, stage 3B lung cancer survivor and founder of ALCMI and the ALCF. “This groundbreaking study will investigate why young adults under the age of 40 are getting lung cancer and whether they have a unique cancer subtype, or genotype, that can be treated differently.” Our evolving understanding of the disease and new molecular tools suggest that young age may be an under-appreciated clinical marker of new genetic subtypes. An important goal for this research study is to reveal new lung cancer sub-types of lung cancer requiring distinct treatment strategies. “Leveraging this study as a proof of principle, ALCMI is also characterizing other specific patient populations to support emerging data that lung cancer diagnostic and therapeutic interventions are more effective when individualized, and personalized approaches are brought to bear," Steven Young, President and COO of ALCMI, who also points out this study represents a unique public-private collaboration between the ALCMI consortium and Foundation Medicine, Inc. The Genomics of Young Lung Cancer study is centrally managed by ALCMI while the Principal Investigator (study leader) is Barbara Gitlitz, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Southern California, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. "This study lays the groundwork for discovery of novel targetable genotypes as well as heritable and environmental risk factors for lung cancer patients under 40,” Dr. Gitlitz said. "We'll be evaluating 60 patients in this initial study and hope to apply our findings to a larger follow-up study in the future." Other investigators include Geoffrey Oxnard, MD, (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), David Carbone, MD, PhD (The Ohio State University), and Giorgio Scagliotti, MD, PhD and Silvia Novello, MD (both at the University of Torino in Italy). Patients may enroll in the study regardless of where they live, and will not need to travel to any of the above institutions. For more information about the study, please contact Steven Young, president of ALCMI, at (203) 226-5765 or info@lungcancerfoundation.org. Lung cancer patients living in the United States will not need to travel to any of the above institutions to participate (but may do so), and may learn more at https://www.openmednet.org/site/alcmi-goyl. Individuals living outside the U.S. may contact ALCMI at info@lungcancerfoundation.org for information on how to participate. Lung Cancer Facts
About the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation is one of the largest philanthropies (patient-founded, patient-focused, and patient-driven) devoted exclusively to eradicating Lung Cancer through research, education, early detection, genetic testing, drug discovery and patient-focused outcomes. The Foundation works with a diverse group of physicians, patients, organizations, industry partners, individuals, survivors, and their families to identify solutions and make timely and meaningful change. ALCF was established on March 1, 2006 as a 501c(3) non-profit organization and has raised more than $15 million for lung cancer research. To learn more, please visit www.lungcancerfoundation.org. About the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute The Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI), founded in 2008 as a 501c(3) non-profit organization, is a patient-centric, international research consortium driving research otherwise not possible, evidenced by ALCMI's current clinical studies CASTLE, INHERIT EGFR T790M, and the Genomics of Young Lung Cancer. ALCMI overcomes barriers to collaboration via a world-class team of investigators from 22+ institutions in the U.S. and Europe, supported by dedicated research infrastructures such as centralized tissue banks and data systems. ALCMI directly facilitates research by combining scientific expertise found at leading academic institutions with patient access through our network of community cancer centers – accelerating novel research advancements to lung cancer patients. Originally published on June 24th, 2014 by Victoria Colliver at SFGate.com.
Victoria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. --- Natalie DiMarco's only obvious risk factor for getting lung cancer was having lungs. Natalie DiMarcoDiMarco had been experiencing respiratory problems for months in 2010, but her doctors just assumed the mother of two had allergies. By the time she learned she had lung cancer, the disease had spread into her lymph nodes and reached the membranes that surround the lungs. "I'm young, didn't have any history of smoking, and that's why a doctor didn't X-ray me from the beginning," said DiMarco, now 36, who lives in Penngrove with her husband, daughters, ages 5 and 6, and a teenage stepson. An estimated 4,600 to 6,900 people under 40 in the U.S. are diagnosed every year with lung cancer that has no apparent cause. The disease appears to be quite different from the lung cancer found in longtime smokers and, aside from initial research that indicates that young patients, like DiMarco, tend to share certain genetic changes, the source remains a mystery. A new study just getting under way hopes to find out more about these patients, what they have in common and, potentially, why they get lung cancer. If researchers can find a common thread, or several, it could lead to more effective treatment or point the way to new targeted therapies. The $300,000 Genomics of Young Lung Cancer Study is small - just 60 patients - but the lead researchers hope it will help find the answers they're looking for and even help others with lung cancer, particularly the 15 percent of the nearly 230,000 Americans diagnosed with lung cancer each year who have never smoked. Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute, a partner organization of theBonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation in San Carlos, initiated and is paying for the study along with Genentech. Not much is known. Bonnie Addario, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in her mid-50s in 2003 and founded the organizations that bear her name, said much is unknown about this population of patients because it's never been systematically studied. "We're hoping to find something that may be in another cancer or another disease that could be part of their therapy," she said. Dr. Barbara Gitlitz, a lead researcher of the study and director of the lung, head and neck program at theUniversity of Southern California's Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, said the disease should be thought about as its own entity. "We may discover that by looking at the genomics of these people, we may find driver mutations. We'll see patterns that might be specific to this population and we might see something new," she said. Time is of the essence, considering how devastating a lung cancer diagnosis is. Bonnie AddarioJust 15 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer live longer than five years, in part because the disease is difficult to detect in its earlier stages and tends to be caught too late. That's particularly true among young people because no one's looking for it. "What we're hearing quite often is that they're athletes and they're very fit - the people you would least expect to have cancer, let alone lung cancer," Addario said. She added that the disease appears to be more common in young, nonsmoking women than in their male counterparts. Inspired by Cal athlete. Jill CostelloThe study was inspired by Jill Costello, a San Francisco native and varsity coxswain for UC Berkeley's women's crew, who died of lung cancer in 2010 at age 22, a year after she was diagnosed. Jill's Legacy, a subsidiary of Addario's foundation, was created in her honor to raise funds and awareness for lung cancer among young people. Researchers do know that young people and nonsmokers with non-small-cell lung cancer - the most common kind - typically have alterations in their genes that can affect how the disease is treated. The genetic mutation found most often - EGRF, for epidermal growth factor receptor - occurs in about 10 to 15 percent of non-small-cell lung cancer patients. But a host of other known mutations - ALK, ROS1, BRAF, HER2, MET, RET - have also been identified as contributing to lung cancer in young patients, said Dr. Geoffrey Oxnard, a lung cancer specialist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, also a lead researcher of the study. Drugs have been developed in recent years to "target" those mutations, or go after those specific cells to thwart their growth. The first EGRF therapies, AstraZeneca's Iressa, or gefitinib, was approved by federal regulators in 2003 followed by Roche's Tarceva, or erlotinib, in 2005. But even these relatively new treatments don't cure the disease; at most they buy time - from several months to five years - before the cancer returns. Oxnard said he hopes the study - which will test for more than 200 mutations - will not only show a pattern of these genetic alterations but also spotlight the necessity for young and nonsmoking people to get genetically tested after diagnosis, which is not routinely done in all centers. "We know comprehensive genetic testing has the potential to make a difference in any cancer patient, but we think in these patients, it's really going to be transformative," Oxnard said. DiMarco, who hopes to participate in the study, said she learned her genetic subtype by seeking out specialists around the country. Almost by chance her biopsy was tested by a Boston surgeon for the ROS1 alteration, which in 2010 was just newly identified. The mutation makes DiMarco a candidate for a drug called crizotinib, sold under Pfizer's brand name Xalkori. DiMarco, who has undergone numerous rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, has not yet resorted to Xalkori because she and her doctors want to keep that in the arsenal to use only if and when it becomes necessary. So far her disease has been kept in check, and she's been off chemotherapy for 17 months while undergoing regular scanning. Lisa GoldmanAnother young patient, Lisa Goldman, a mother of two who lives in Mountain View, was diagnosed with lung cancer in January at age 40. The disease was found in both lungs and considered stage four. Like DiMarco, Goldman has tested positive for the ROS1 mutation and has also chosen to hold off on Xalkori after receiving other therapies in combination with traditional chemotherapies. "I have that in my back pocket to use next," she said, referring to thePfizer drug. Goldman, who may not be eligible for the study now that she's 41, said the stigma of lung cancer because of its connection to smoking causes her to hesitate about naming her disease and then assert she's never smoked. But she speaks out about having lung cancer because she says she has to. "People need to know this happens. I'm not a fan of smoking, but nobody deserves to get cancer," she said. "Smoking is a contributor to breast cancer and heart disease and other disease, but people don't ask you if you caused this yourself." Goldman's latest scan showed her tumors had shrunk or remained stable, with the exception of one tiny new spot. But she tries to retain a sense of normalcy, particularly for her kids, ages 8 and 11. "How do you live with something like this hanging over your head?" she said. "You just can't live like every day is your last." Living in the present. DiMarco manages by incorporating Chinese medicine - acupuncture, massage, cupping therapy - into her life. As far as her young children know, their mom has some "bad cells in her body" that "made a spot in her lung" and that she has to take medications to get rid of it. While DiMarco knows she's been dealt a difficult hand, she tries to live in the present but look to the future about the potential treatment options. "It's all about what card you play that buys you the most time," DiMarco said. "If I understand what to do now ... I can sleep easier and not have to worry. But I need to have a plan. I need to know, what do we do next?" About lung cancer:
Breyan Harris, a lifelong non-smoker who was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, posses at her home in Fair Oaks, Calif., Monday, June 16, 2014. Harris, 33, hopes to enroll in a new cancer drug test that starts Monday in hundred of hospitals around the country. Like a medical version of speed dating, doctors will sort through multiple potential drugs and match patients to the one most likely to succeed based on each person's unique tumor gene profile.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) By MARILYNN MARCHIONE
The Associated Press A bold new way to test cancer drugs started Monday in hundreds of hospitals around the U.S. In a medical version of speed dating, doctors will sort through multiple experimental drugs and match patients to the one most likely to succeed based on each person's unique tumor gene profile. It's a first-of-a-kind experiment that brings together five drug companies, the government, private foundations and advocacy groups. The idea came from the federal Food and Drug Administration, which has agreed to consider approving new medicines based on results from the study. Its goal is to speed new treatments to market and give seriously ill patients more chances to find something that will help. Instead of being tested for individual genes and trying to qualify for separate clinical trials testing single drugs, patients can enroll in this umbrella study, get full gene testing and have access to many options at once. The study, called Lung-MAP, is for advanced cases of a common, hard-to-treat form of lung cancer — squamous cell. Plans for similar studies for breast and colon cancer are in the works. "For patients, it gives them their best chance for treatment of a deadly disease," because everyone gets some type of therapy, said Ellen Sigal, chairwoman and founder of Friends of Cancer Research, a Washington-based research and advocacy group that helped plan and launch the study. "There's something for everyone, and we'll get answers faster" on whether experimental drugs work, she said. Cancer medicines increasingly target specific gene mutations that are carried by smaller groups of patients. But researchers sometimes have to screen hundreds of patients to find a few with the right mutation, making drug development inefficient, expensive and slow. One of the leaders of the Lung-MAP study — Dr. Roy Herbst, chief of medical oncology at the Yale Cancer Center — said he once screened 100 patients to find five that might be eligible for a study, and ultimately was able to enroll two. "It's just going to be impossible, in rare subgroups, for companies to find enough" people to try out a new medicine, said Dr. Richard Pazdur, cancer drugs chief at the FDA. He and others at the FDA suggested the Lung-MAP trial design to speed new treatments to market and "minimize the number of patients exposed to ineffective therapies," he said. Everyone in the study will be screened for mutations in more than 200 cancer-related genes, rather than a single mutation as in conventional studies. Then they will be assigned to one of five groups based on what these tumor biomarkers show. Each group will test a particular experimental medicine. Drugs can be added or subtracted from the study as it goes on, based on how each performs. The initial round of testing involves Amgen, Genentech, Pfizer, AstraZeneca PLC, and AstraZeneca's global biologics partner, MedImmune. Up to 1,000 patients a year can be enrolled in the study. It will cost about $150 million. The National Cancer Institute is paying $25 million, and the rest will come from foundations, charities and others in the public-private partnership. About 500 hospitals that are part of a large cancer treatment consortium around the country will take part, and some private groups want to join as well, Herbst said. "Nothing like this has ever been done before," where such comprehensive testing will be done to match patients to experimental drugs, he said. Breyan Harris, a 33-year-old nurse from Sacramento, hopes to enroll. She's a lifelong non-smoker who was diagnosed with lung cancer on June 3. "Since then I've pretty much been on the phone, seeing doctors, trying to figure out how do I get rid of this," she said. Harris expects to have one lung with a large tumor removed, "but if it comes back in my other lung I'm in real trouble," so finding a drug to attack any remaining, hidden cancer is crucial, she said. Online: Study sites and info: http://tinyurl.com/ovv4cnl and http://www.Lung-MAP.org Marilynn Marchione can be followed at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP Copyright 2014 The Associated Press Amanda Chen is a health researcher at Self Care Catalysts, a health research company based in Toronto and San Francisco. She is conducting a self-funded, proprietary research on the Cancer Patient Journey. She is looking for patients to participate in a 30-minute online survey. This survey will explore the journey of cancer patients as they cope with their illness, their treatment experience, decision making process, the role of their caregivers and supporters, and more. The insights drawn from this survey will be used to develop health solutions and programs that better meet patients’ needs. All participants will be compensated for their time. You can download the .PDF file below to learn more. You can also contact Amanda directly at amanda@selfcarecatalysts.com.
5/19/2014 Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation and Van Auken Private Foundation Announce the 2014 Young Innovators Team Award for Lung Cancer ResearchRead NowAward will fund teams of young, brilliant thinkers for research focused on immediate impact on lung cancer patient lives SAN CARLOS, CALIF. — The Bonnie J Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF), in collaboration with the Van Auken Private Foundation today announced the 2014 Young Innovators Team Award (YITA), a first-of-its-kind program that will fund and support teams of young investigators to conduct novel, innovative and transdisciplinary research with a potential of high clinical impact for lung cancer patients.
“In an effort to involve all stakeholders in our mission of making lung cancer a chronically managed disease by 2023, our goal with this program is to identify young, brilliant and collaborative out-of-the-box thinkers to deliver meaningful and measurable results in the field of lung cancer,” said Bonnie J. Addario, lung cancer survivor and founder of the ALCF. The 2014 Young Innovator Team Award, with funding from both the Addario Lung Cancer Foundation and the Van Auken Private Foundation, will provide up to a total of $500,000 per team over a duration of 2-3 years, to teams of two or more young investigators – those within five years of their first faculty appointment (www.lungcancerfoundation.org/grants). All submissions will be evaluated on the following four main criteria; that the proposed research be:
“Not only is lung cancer the least funded cancer, proportionate to the amount of lives it claims,” said Tony Addario, CEO of the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI), the ALCF’s sister organization and an international research consortium, “but it attracts disproportionately fewer young, talented thinkers because there is such a lack of funding for research. We hope this award is the first step in changing that. We also want to encourage young innovators to work together and collaborate in a transdisciplinary fashion focused on solving lung cancer patients’ pressing unmet medical needs.” The funding mechanism is designed in such a way that young investigators work together in cross-disciplinary teams and drive the projects, with guidance from mentors at their own institution, as well as the 2014 YITA Scientific Review Committee that will guide and steer their progress, and make final decisions on continued funding. “The idea is to encourage new thinking and foster leadership skills among young innovators, instilling confidence in them to drive breakthrough, transdisciplinary science under a collaborative, cross-institutional paradigm,” said David Carbone, M.D., Ph.D. at The Ohio State University, and one of the ALCF Scientific Review Committee members. The 2014 YITA Scientific Review Committee is comprised of four top global experts in the lung cancer field: David Carbone, M.D., Ph.D (The Ohio State University), David Gandara, M.D. (University of California, Davis), Roy Herbst, M.D., Ph.D (Yale School of Medicine), Giorgio Scagliotti, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Torino). ALCF invites lung cancer patient-oriented research in the following topic areas preferably (however, all submissions will be evaluated):
Key Dates: RFA Announcement: May 19, 2014
For more information on the award, guidelines for submission, FAQs and the online submission portal please visit www.lungcancerfoundation.org/grants. The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation will accept online applications during June 3-August 1, 2014. Contact: Guneet Walia, Ph.D. Director, Research and Medical Affairs Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation 1100 Industrial Road, #1 San Carlos, CA 94070 grants@lungcancerfoundation.org Funding for this unique new award is provided by the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation and the Van Auken Private Foundation. About the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation is one of the largest philanthropies (patient-founded, patient-focused, and patient-driven) devoted exclusively to eradicating Lung Cancer through research, education, early detection, genetic testing, drug discovery and patient-focused outcomes. The Foundation’s commitment to lung cancer patients is to collaborate and partner with the leaders in oncology, technology, science, medicine and philanthropy to make Lung Cancer a chronically managed disease by 2023. 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. ALCF was established on March 1, 2006 as a 501c(3) non-profit organization and has raised more than $10 million for lung cancer research. To learn more, please visit www.lungcancerfoundation.org. About the Van Auken Private Foundation The Van Auken Private Foundation was established on April 17, 2008 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Its purpose is to make contributions, grants and provide assistance to other tax-exempt charitable organizations, in arts, science, medicine, education and worthy social causes. by Kathy Boltz, PhD
Originally published at oncologynurseadvisor.com on May 12th, 2014. A study consisting of lung cancer patients, primarily smokers 51 to 79 years old, is shedding more light on the stigma often felt by these patients, the emotional toll it can have, and how health providers can help. “It's eye opening when a patient says to you that they feel like lung cancer ‘just gets shoved under the rug,'” said Rebecca Lehto, PhD, RN, OCN, who led the project and is an assistant professor with the College of Nursing at Michigan State University in East Lansing. “Patients in one of the focus groups actually associated lung cancer with a black ribbon.” Previous research has shown that lung cancer carries a stigma. Because lung cancer is primarily linked to smoking behaviors, the public's opinion of the disease can often be judgmental. Today, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death globally. Yet Lehto explained that up to 25% of lung cancer patients worldwide have never smoked. The World Health Organization has identified air pollution as a cause, and genetics also have been associated with the disease. “No matter how a patient gets lung cancer, it shouldn't affect the care they receive or the role empathy should play,” she said. Her study was published in the European Journal of Oncology Nursing (2014; doi:10.1016/j.ejon.2014.02.003). Lehto's goal is to raise awareness among health care providers about the additional burden stigma places on patients and develop patient care strategies that strengthen coping skills and symptom management. “Understanding a disease from the patient's perspective is essential to providing the best medical care to anyone,” she said. The study evaluated feedback from four focus groups, which is a format that Lehto suggests is uncommon in this particular area of research. “There've been several studies examining lung cancer stigma, but most have relied on survey data” she said. “Most of the groups in this study had three to four people participating and relied on a group dynamic to foster discussion. The sessions actually appeared quite therapeutic … acting more like a peer group.” Lehto's key findings showed participants expressing guilt, self-blame, anger, regret, and alienation relative to family and societal interactions. Yet, many also discussed feeling uncomfortable with their health care providers and even feared their care might be negatively affected because of their smoking background. Although she admits more research is needed with larger, more diverse patient samples, Lehto said her findings could help substantiate the patient perspective on a critical issue that is of sociological importance. Lehto hopes the results will encourage health care providers to examine their own perceptions about lung cancer stigma and be more aware of how it impacts the patient. “Arming providers with rich, contextual information may help us put biases aside and heighten empathy and understanding,” she said. “That would be a step in the right direction.” |
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