4/21/2014 The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation and Cancer Commons Partner to Help Patients Find Their Best Treatment OptionsRead NowPatients Share Their Lung Cancer Experiences and Data to Get Personalized Treatment Guidance SAN CARLOS, Calif. & PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF) and Cancer Commons today announced the launch of a new program called MyCancerCommons, created to make sure critical lung cancer treatment information reaches the patients who need it. “We are thrilled to collaborate with the ALCF to provide this revolutionary resource, which empowers today’s patients to improve their own outcomes. We also look forward to expanding the program to include all types of cancer by the end of 2014.” Lung cancer is the second leading cause of death in the U.S. With a 1 in 14 lifetime risk of developing lung cancer, more than 220,000 Americans are diagnosed each year, and nearly 160,000 die of the disease. “Lung cancer is not generic. Every patient’s disease is unique at the molecular level,” said Bonnie J. Addario, stage 3b lung cancer survivor and founder of the ALCF. “So how can a patient know what treatment is most likely to work for them? By knowing what’s worked for other patients with similar types of lung cancer.” Cancer Commons and the ALCF are aiming to make potentially life-saving insights available to all patients. Once data is collected from thousands of lung cancer stories, Cancer Commons and the ALCF can begin to show patterns in treatment choices, side effects, quality of life, and outcomes. Through MyCancerCommons, patients will have access to expert-reviewed personalized news and resources they can use to inform their own clinical care. MyCancerCommons also serves as an entryway into the highly personalized services provided by the ALCF. The ALCF can consult a patient’s MyCancerCommons profile while working directly with the patient to ensure he or she is on the best possible treatment path. “Everyone who has been diagnosed with cancer has felt the fright and anguish of having to make life and death decisions without adequate information, data, or time,” said Marty Tenenbaum, PhD, Cancer Commons’ founder and chairman, and himself a stage IV melanoma survivor. “We are thrilled to collaborate with the ALCF to provide this revolutionary resource, which empowers today’s patients to improve their own outcomes. We also look forward to expanding the program to include all types of cancer by the end of 2014.” Additionally, Marty Tenenbaum, PhD, will be the guest speaker at the ALCF’s Lung Cancer Living Room Support Group taking place tomorrow, April 22 at 5:30 p.m. (PDT). More information can be found here. Visit MyCancerCommons at: https://my.cancercommons.org/lcf. 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, organizations, industry partners, individuals, survivors, and their families to identify solutions and make timely and meaningful change. BJALCF 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 http://www.lungcancerfoundation.org. Follow the ALCF on Facebook and Twitter. About Cancer Commons Cancer Commons is a 501c(3) non-profit that unites patients, oncologists, and scientists to make sure critical information gets to the patients who need it. Analysis of distinct patient data from thousands of donors will reveal patterns in treatment choices, drug effectiveness, side effects, quality of life, outcomes and more. For more information, visit http://www.cancercommons.org. Follow Cancer Commons on Facebook and Twitter.
0 Comments
Sonia Williams of Spotlite Radio interviews President and CEO of The Joan Gaeta Lunt Cancer Fund, Joe Gaeta. From April 15th, 2014.
4/8/2014 Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation Releases New Public Service Announcement Featuring Penny MarshallRead NowApril 07, 2014 12:37 PM Eastern Daylight Time SAN CARLOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF) today released the third in a series of Public Service Announcements featuring well-known celebrities to raise awareness for the nation’s number one cancer killer. Film director and actress Penny Marshall, who is a lung cancer survivor, is featured in the new 30-second PSA. “There are so many people who are not aware that lung cancer takes more lives every year than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined. The sad reality is that anyone can get lung cancer” “There are so many people who are not aware that lung cancer takes more lives every year than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined. The sad reality is that anyone can get lung cancer,” said Bonnie J. Addario, stage 3B lung cancer survivor and founder of the ALCF. “As a lung cancer survivor myself, I applaud Penny for helping us to raise awareness and educate patients so they can live longer.” Marshall is known for her acting as well as directing careers, having starred in the 1970s and 80s sitcom Laverne & Shirley and later going on to direct successful movies such as A League of Their Own and Big. Previous lung cancer Public Service Announcements featuring Maroon 5 and former NFL Wide Receiver Hank Baskett can be viewed here on the Foundation’s website. 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, 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.
This story was originally published by CBS News on February 28th, 2014. BALTIMORE (WJZ) - After a long battle with lung cancer, the Orioles director of public relations died Friday morning at age 36.
Monica Pence Barlow was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in September 2009. "I was blown away by the diagnosis. I was just 32. I had never been a smoker, I had no family history of cancer, and I had always maintained a healthy lifestyle," she wrote in a an article posted on American Association for Cancer Research last year. Barlow has been the O's PR director since April 2008. Majority owner Peter Angelos released the following statement: "It was with deep sadness that I learned of Monica's passing this morning. In her 14 years with the club, she was a beloved member of the Orioles family, starting as an intern and becoming director of public relations. Over the past four and a half years, the work Monica did to raise awareness and funds for cancer research was a testament to her dedication to helping others. The strength and resiliency she displayed by not letting her illness define her was a great inspiration to all who knew her. Her loss will be felt deeply by not only our front office staff, but also our manager, players and coaches, with whom she worked on a daily basis. On behalf of the club, I extend my condolences to her husband, Ben; her parents, Wayne and Ramona Pence; her brother, Jonah; her sister, Natalie; and her family and friends." The team plays its first exhibition game in Port Charlotte, Fla. on Friday. Manager Buck Showalter broke the news to players before their drive. He choked up when asked to say a few words about Barlow at a Friday morning presser, according to an article posted on MASN. "I tried to text her every night before I went to bed," Showalter said. "Today was the first time I didn't get a returned one." He released the following statement: "We lost a feather from the Oriole today. Monica embodied everything we strive to be about. Her passion, loyalty and tenacity set a great example for everyone in the organization. She was so courageous in continuing to do her job the last few years despite her pain. This is an especially tough day for those of us that worked with her on a daily basis. It was a blessing to have her in my life. She made our jobs so much easier. We won't be able to replace Monica. We will only try to carry on. I am going to miss her as a colleague and a friend. She was a rock." Barlow interned with the Orioles in 1999 and spent a year as PR assistant with the Richmond Braves. On February 18, don't miss the leaders and armies of lung cancer advocacy groups as they align like the stars to discuss efforts to achieve the goal and raise funds to commit to this "cost of living with lung cancer." Join members of the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, American Lung Association, Dusty Joy Foundation, Lung Cancer Foundation of America (LCFA), and Lungevity for an unprecedented collaboration in the fight to end lung cancer. "Now that we've heard what the experts have to say, what can we do together to move the needle forward?" - Danielle Beltramo - Hicks Whether you join us in ALCF’s Living Room or attend remotely through Livestream on your computer, you will be informed about Living with Lung Cancer. If you are having trouble getting the live stream working, click here for help and troubleshooting tips. The Patient Handbook, “Navigating Lung Cancer, 360 Degrees of Hope,” is the first-ever comprehensive, up-to-date patient resource for Lung Cancer.
For a hard copy of the handbook please email handbook@lungcancerfoundation.org or click below to download a copy. Live in Georgia? Get your Lung Cancer Awareness specialty license plate today! Dare to be different and let your fellow motorists know that lung cancer matters, too! LungCancerLicensePlate.org12/16/2013 Bonnie J. Addario, Founder of the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, Issued the Following Statement in Response to the Nov. 29 Dr. Oz Segment on 'Symptoms People Worry About Most'Read NowBonnie J. Addario, founder of the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, issued the following statement in response to the Nov. 29 Dr. Oz segment on symptoms people worry about most:
"Dr. Oz, "I'm sure you are aware by now that your segment on Friday, Nov. 29 -- 'The Alarmist Guide To The Symptoms You Worry About Most' -- caused quite a stir in the lung cancer community. A woman on your show complained about a nagging, persistent cough and read online that it may be a symptom of lung cancer. It IS a symptom of lung cancer. While you did advise her to see a physician if her cough continued for more than two weeks, you mislead your audience when you said, 'If you don't smoke you should always feel better about that.' You then proceeded to calm her fears and said she had post-nasal drip, not lung cancer. "It is true that smoking is the number one cause of lung cancer, but more and more people every year are being diagnosed who have never smoked a day in their lives. Lung cancer in never-smokers, if it were a cancer by itself, is now the sixth deadliest cancer in the U.S. The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 24,000 Americans will die of lung cancer in 2013 who never smoked. That is greater than the number of deaths associated with Leukemia, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Liver, Ovarian and Bladder cancers. Because there is so little funding for lung cancer research we still don't know why the number of never-smokers with lung cancer are increasing. Prevention and early diagnosis are extremely challenging as there isn't a reliable early detection test other than a CT scan. "You did provide the proper advice to your guest at the end of the segment, but the message heard loudly among the lung cancer community is that never-smokers shouldn't worry about lung cancer, which sadly today is not the message well respected physicians like you should send. "In May of 2012 you aired this short but important PSA on your show that 'Not only smokers get lung cancer.' We hope you'll consider revisiting this statement in more detail on an upcoming episode and partnering with us to increase awareness of lung cancer. "In 2006 I founded the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, one of the largest and most active philanthropies dedicated to raising awareness and funding for lung cancer research and patient programs, with the ultimate goal of making lung cancer a chronically managed, survivable disease in the next 10 years. Our sister foundation, the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute, is launching a ground-breaking study in January called The Genomics of Young Lung Cancer Study, which aims to understand why never-smokers under the age of 40 are getting lung cancer and if they have a unique cancer subtype that could be treated differently. The research is being conducted by (list the institutions) Two patients who plan to enter the study, Ingrid Nunez and Emily Bennett-Taylor, were recently profiled in an article about the study in The Atlantic. "This timely study offers you a great opportunity to clear up the confusion about smoking and lung cancer, and have a real discussion about the deadliest cancer in the U.S. and the world. "Thank you in advance for understanding the concerns I am raising, and we look forward to working with you and your producers in 2014 to save lives." Bonnie J. Addario Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation Media Contact: Perry Communications Group Matt Notley, 916-658-0144 matt@perrycom.com This article was originally published at 4:24 pm on Tuesday, December 3, 2013 by Kathryn Roethel of the San Francisco Chronicle When it comes to U.S. cancer research funding, deadly disease doesn't always translate into dollars. Lung cancer - the nation's top cancer killer - ranks near the bottom by many measures of funding. Lung cancer's five-year survival rates have hovered around 15 percent for the past four decades, while survival rates for most other cancers have climbed. Ninety-nine percent of prostate cancer patients and 89 percent of breast cancer patients now live at least five years past diagnosis. Lung cancer symptoms are vague and there isn't a screening approved for the general population, so doctors often discover lung cancer in advanced stages. Last year, the National Cancer Institute, a division of the government's National Institutes of Health, awarded breast cancer researchers nearly twice as much funding as lung cancer scientists. In the ratio of research dollars to deaths for the 10 most common types of cancer, lung cancer ranks near the bottom of the list. One problem, according to Dr. Heather Wakelee, a thoracic oncologist at the Stanford Cancer Institute, is that most people view lung cancer as a smoker's disease that could have been prevented. While a majority of U.S. lung cancer patients are current or former smokers, about 20 percent of women and 10 percent of men with lung cancer never smoked. If only nonsmokers' deaths were counted, lung cancer would still rank in the top 10 deadliest types of the disease. The promising news, Wakelee said, is tumors often mutate differently in nonsmokers, and new drugs are being developed to target those mutations and increase survival rates. Here's a look at lung cancer funding, by the numbers. 159,480 The number of Americans projected to die of lung cancer in 2013. Lung cancer kills about four times more people than breast cancer and three times more than colorectal cancer, the second leading cancer killer. $314.6 million The amount of research dollars lung cancer received from the National Cancer Institute in 2012, making it second to breast cancer in federal funding. Breast cancer researchers received nearly twice as much. $2,000 When the amount of NCI lung cancer research funding is divided by the number lung cancer deaths, it equates to about $2,000 for each person who died last year. For breast cancer, it's more than $15,000 per death. It's about $9,000 for each prostate cancer death, and $5,000 for each colon cancer death. 15% The percentage of Americans with lung cancer who have never smoked, according to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America. Forty-five percent are former smokers, and the remaining 40 percent currently smoke. This column originally appeared at Times-Herald.com on Wednesday, November 20th, 2013 by Dr. Saeid Khansarina. Board certified in thoracic surgery, Piedmont Newnan Hospital’s Dr. Saeid Khansarinia has special interests in robotic surgery and thoracic oncology. A graduate of the University of California in San Diego, he received his medical degree from St. Louis University and completed his internship and residency in general, thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at the University of Florida. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. When you hear someone has lung cancer, what is the first thing you do? If you’re like the majority of people in the general population, you’ll ask the person who has been diagnosed with this deadly disease whether or not they have smoked. Contrary to the popular belief, lung cancer is not exclusive to smokers. While smoking certainly increases a person’s risk of developing lung cancer, it is not the only factor to consider. Lung cancer can affect just about anyone. In fact, studies show that the rate of lung cancer in younger, non-smoking women is actually on the rise.
The trouble is: medical experts aren’t sure why more non-smoking women are being diagnosed when the number of new lung cancer cases seems to have plateaued in men. Secondhand smoke and radon exposure can play a role in the development of lung cancer, but plenty of patients who have rarely been exposed can still have lung cancer, too. Early detection, the key to beating lung cancer, remains a challenge for healthcare providers because patients rarely present symptoms until it is too late. The common stereotype that lung cancer is a “smoker’s disease” continues to plague the ability to raise widespread awareness and fundraising efforts for the disease that is second only to heart disease as the largest killer in the United States. Those with known risk factors for lung cancer, including family history and people who have smoked for a long time, are encouraged to get screened and take advantage of Piedmont Newnan Hospital’s discounted, low-dose computed tomography (CT) lung cancer screenings. (For more information, visit piedmont.org/lung.) Lung cancer is responsible for claiming the lives of more people than colon, breast and prostate cancer combined. Yet, so few know about it or think it cannot affect them because they don’t smoke. This year, 159,480 Americans with lung cancer will die. Approximately 16,000 to 24,000 of these people who died never even smoked, according to the American Cancer Society. Symptoms can be as vague as coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing, recurring lung infections and hoarseness. While screening mechanisms are still being developed for younger, non-smoking men and women, it is always important to pay attention to what your body is telling you about your health. If you notice symptoms such as those listed above, it is best to seek help from a medical expert. |
Details
|