Lung cancer survivor & Jill's Legacy advisory board member, Taylor Bell, was featured in the August 2013 issue of Cosmopolitan! Congratulations, Taylor!
You can read the Cosmopolitan article HERE.
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6/26/2013 More #Research Needs to Be Done On Treatment For #LungCancer Among Non-Smoking #WomenRead NowThis story originally published by Sam Goodwin on HGNG.com on 6/26/13. The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) finds that much more research needs to be done on treatment given to non-smoking women for lung cancer. An estimated 516,000 women worldwide are affected by lung cancer and 100,000 of these women are from the United States. Up until now, women with lung cancer have been given the same treatment as men. However, numerous studies have highlighted different characteristics of lung cancer in women. Hence, there is a need for more research to be done on lung cancer treatment given to women, especially those who don't smoke, states the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Researchers from the University of Toulouse III in France looked into the clinical, pathological and biological characteristics of lung cancer in 140 women. They found that 63 participants had never smoked in their lives while 77 were either former or current smokers. Researchers compared the findings of both groups and found differential genetic alteration repartition in women according to their tobacco status. Around 50.8 percent of women who had never smoked displayed an EGFR mutation while only 10.4 percent of current/former smokers showed the same mutation. However, 33.8% of current/former smokers showed K-Ras mutation while only 9.5 percent of women who had never smoked showed this form of mutation. The researchers also observed a higher percentage of estrogen receptors (ER) α expression in patients who never smoked when compared with smokers. This led researchers to conclude that lung cancer in women who have never smoked is more frequently associated with EGFR mutations and estrogen receptor (ER) over expression. "These findings underline the possibility of treatment for women who have never smoked with drugs to target hormonal factors, genetic abnormalities, or both," the authors say. The study is published in the July issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. 6/20/2013 The Bonnie J. Addario #LungCancer Foundation's 360 Community Hospital Program Improving Individualized Standard of Care for PatientsRead NowPilot program already showing positive patient outcomes, with ultimate goal to increase the lung cancer survival rate. SAN CARLOS, CALIF., JUNE 20, 2013 — /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation is creating a new patient-focused approach to standard of care for lung cancer with the launch of the Patient 360 Community Hospital Program. The program uses a collaborative, multi-disciplinary model to provide an individualized approach to care, giving the patient access to the newest and most effective diagnostic and therapeutic techniques for their specific needs. "What we're finding is by using a team approach to individualized care we can begin to incrementally increase the survival rate of people diagnosed with lung cancer," said Bonnie J. Addario, a stage 3B survivor and founder of the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (LCF). "Because 80 percent of patients receive treatment at their local community hospital, these are the centers where the greatest good can be done for the greatest number." Working with an elite team of pathologists and specialists to create an unsurpassed paradigm for lung cancer treatment, the LCF is in essence creating lung-specific centers of excellence in the community hospital setting. The program ensures that every patient receives molecular testing, combined with a multi-disciplinary team approach and selected treatment options unique to the patient's needs. "The 360 Program's multidisciplinary approach is unique because it coordinates the standard of care for patients individually, giving each patient what's right for them." Addario said. "So the oncologist, the radiation oncologist, the pathologist, the pulmonologist, and the surgeon are all communicating and collaborating, not just with academic, industry and technology, but internally as well." During the first six months of the pilot stage of the program, preliminary metrics and data have shown that patient outcomes have improved dramatically.
The program is rigid in its standard of treatment. Every patient in the pilot 360 program received molecular testing to better determine personalized treatments, as will be the case for all future patients as the program expands to more community hospitals in the coming years. Three new hospitals are expected to enlist by the end of 2013 and 30-50 by the end of 2015. The program's process focuses on early detection, diagnosis, treatment and treatment monitoring, and patient follow up. Critical in the program's standard of care is ensuring all patients receive molecular testing, which uses DNA, RNA and proteins to test for specific states of disease. In lung cancer, molecular testing is used to determine potential patient response to targeted therapy. The LCF has received generous support from a number of distinguished industry partners, including GE Healthcare, Pfizer and Boehringer-Ingelheim. GE Healthcare provided in-kind services from its oncology solutions division to help create the program's flow and metrics. The LCF is working with Boehringer-Ingelheim and Pfizer in partnership to broaden the overall awareness of multi-disciplinary collaborations that incorporate personalized testing to initiate timely and appropriate lung cancer treatments. Boehringer-Ingelheim also leads the letstestnow.com campaign, set up to improve patient outcomes through a multidisciplinary approach to biomarker testing in advanced non-small cell lung cancer. "Every community hospital that joins us and implements this new multi-disciplinary, patient-centric approach to standard of care will be given a formal seal of excellence awarded by the LCF, signifying that no lung cancer patient is left behind," Addario said. The pilot program launches during a time when an estimated 228,190 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year. The American Cancer Society also estimates 159,480 Americans will die from the disease this year. The facts about Lung Cancer cannot continue to go unnoticed:
"The Foundation is powering progress through ground-up initiatives, educating patients to identify solutions and make timely and meaningful change," Addario said. "The LCF is empowering patients to take a seat at the table wherever discussions are being made about their care. We are committed to improving the standard of care and believe that chronically managed lung cancer using molecular testing to determine personalized therapies is the future of lung cancer treatment and the pathway to increasing the survival rate." 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, early detection, education, and treatment. 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. SOURCE Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation
3/27/2013 Kentucky Joins Georgia as the Only States in the Country to Offer Motorists a Lung Cancer Awareness Specialty License Plate!Read NowThe Joan Gaeta Lung Cancer Fund congratulates Big Daddy's Race for Time and everyone in Kentucky responsible for making this a reality in their state! The following was originally published by Alan Lytle at WUKY.org on 3/27/13. LEXINGTON, Ky. - Kentucky motorists will soon be able to demonstrate support for lung cancer research and education by buying a specialty license plate. A new “Fighting Lung Cancer” tag has been approved for pre-sale and should be available by early 2014. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths both in Kentucky and the nation, according to Renae Feistritzer Ellis, president of the non-profit group, Big Daddy’s Race for Time. “It surpasses prostate cancer, breast cancer…I mean it’s a huge killer and it’s kind of a silent killer because there’s just not a lot of information out there about it.” Feistritzer Elllis created Big Daddy’s Race For Time, to honor her late father. “Upon his death we created the foundation and all of our money goes right back into Kentucky. We’ve worked closely with the Kentucky Research program with the Markey Cancer Center. That’s where our funds have gone to the last five years. We meet with some doctors and we ask what research efforts they’re doing and we actually pick which research, clinical trials that we want our money go towards.” 900 of the license plates will need to be pre-ordered at $25 each before the design can be sent to production. You can pre-order yours at http://www.bigdaddysrace.org/licenseplate/ The following was originally published at dailylocal.com on Monday, March 11th, 2013 by Dr. Alicia McKelvey. Dr. McKelvey is a thoracic surgeon on staff at Paoli Hospital in Chester County, PA. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the US. In fact, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast and prostate cancers combined. Screening for colon, breast and prostate cancer have played a significant role in reducing the number of deaths due to these diseases. Until recently, however, no screening test for lung cancer has proven effective in detecting the disease at an early, more treatable stage. In August 2011, the National Lung Screening Trial, sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, released findings from the first scientific study of an effective screening technique using advanced imaging technology called the low dose helical CT scan (LDHCT) that significantly reduces death due to lung cancer in high risk individuals. This study demonstrated 20 percent fewer lung cancer deaths in those who underwent screening with LDHCT as compared with those who were screened with standard chest x-rays. High risk individuals are those who are 55 to 74 years old and who have a 30 or more pack year smoking history and former smokers who quit within the last 15 years. Pack years is a term used to categorize smoking history and is calculated by the number of packs smoked each day times the years of smoking. Screening with the low-dose CT scan enabled the detection of lung cancer at its earliest stage when there are typically no symptoms to indicate a problem. Early stage lung cancer means the disease has not spread to other organs or to lymph nodes. Knowing the stage along with other factors, including the type of cancer and the patient’s overall health, helps doctors to recommend the best treatment. Treatment options for lung cancer include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or any combination of these therapies. The typical course for early stage lung cancer is surgery to remove the diseased tissue. If concerned about lung cancer, contact a physician to discuss ways to reduce the risk and whether screening with a LDHCT is beneficial. 3/20/2013 @bonniejaddario Responds to @consumerreports March Issue Cover Story #lungcancer #earlydetection #factsRead NowBonnie Addario Leading magazine downplays value of lung cancer screenings, to the detriment of advances in early detection research. SAN CARLOS, Calif., March 20, 2013 /PRNewswire -- The following statement was issued by Bonnie J. Addario regarding the March cover article in Consumer Reports: The cancer tests you need--and those you don't: "I am appalled by the March 2013 Consumer Reports cover story (The cancer tests you need--and those you don't), because of the misleading and misguided message it sends to people who really need life-saving cancer screening tests, and how it discredits the value and importance of proper early detention cancer screening tests. "The article's irresponsible reporting is best summed up in this statement on page 31: 'But most people shouldn't waste their time on screenings for bladder, lung, oral, ovarian, prostate, pancreatic, skin or testicular cancers.' "Consumer Reports is one of the most trusted publications in America. Anyone, whether they know they are low or high risk, will read that statement and walk away believing early detection cancer screening tests are unnecessary. The six-page article mentions only twice that its ratings apply only to asymptomatic, low-risk population. "Shame on Consumer Reports. We are talking about people's lives here. "I myself am a lung cancer survivor. For more than a year I was misdiagnosed and not given an early detection screening test, even though I was in a high-risk category. When I was finally diagnosed I was stage 3B. Unlike so many others, I beat the odds. But my odds would have been better with an early detection cancer screening test. I founded the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation seven years ago to advocate and raise money for better research, education, early detection and treatment. Because something must be done. The stats are staggering.
"Cancer screening and treatment are certainly at a crossroads, as the article states. This is made clear as well by recent legislation to direct more tobacco settlement money to early lung cancer detection programs. But the article's irresponsible representation of the value of screening tests, I fear, might damage the progress my lung cancer foundation has made over the past seven years - just as we are making great strides. "People cannot readily see symptoms of lung cancer. Symptoms are deep in the lungs, unlike breast cancer, where lumps can be felt and are visible. When you are diagnosed with lung cancer it is often at stage four, when it's too late. "The Consumer Reports article makes only one responsible and thoughtful statement: 'Weighing the risks and benefits of cancer screening is best done in the context of a patient-doctor relationship.' "Consumer Reports should stay out of the health care advice business, and stick to writing about toasters and washing machines. I wouldn't approach my doctor about whether I should buy a Honda or a Ford. And likewise, people should not consult Consumer Reports to help them decide whether or not to have a potentially life-saving cancer screening test." 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, early detection, education, and treatment. 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 6, 2006 as a 501c(3) non-profit organization and has raised more than $9 million for lung cancer research. 2/24/2013 Help us fight lung cancer! Go "Jogging for Joan" on April 20th in Blue Ridge, Georgia at LUNGevity's "Breathe Deep Blue Ridge" 5K!Read NowAttention North Georgians! (...and East Tennesseans and Western North Carolinians....) Help us fight lung cancer! Join our team for "Breathe Deep Blue Ridge" at beautiful Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge, GA! Click here to learn more.
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