LungBlog

After a long and arduous battle with lung cancer, John Arthur, the renowned professor of philosophy and director of Binghamton University’s philosophy, politics and law program, died Monday. Arthur, who was 60 years old, was under hospice care at Lourdes Hospital and passed away in the early morning hours with his wife, Amy Shapiro, by his side.

 Greater awareness and more research dollars need to go toward lung cancer, particularly as it affects women, according to a new report.

Women may be more likely to fear breast or ovarian cancer, but more actually die from lung cancer than from breast, ovarian and uterine cancers combined, experts point out in the report, a summary of a recent meeting of top cancer specialists.

Trial suggests estrogen can make a difference.

First…the good news…Overall, cancer incidence rates have dropped by about 4 percent among state residents, with mortality rates down by about 9 percent between 1994 and 2003.

And here’s some of the bad news: Women have experienced an 11 percent increase in lung cancer incidence, and lung cancer continues to be the most frequently diagnosed cancer for both genders.

Annual mammograms routinely help find breast cancer at its earliest stage. Now, doctors are proving that annual X-ray screenings may do the same for lung cancer.

Antibodies that selectively bind and destroy cancer cells represent some of the most promising cancer therapy approaches being developed today. Several of these antibodies have reached the market, including cetuximab (Erbitux®, ImClone Systems), which targets the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) protein. However, a study conducted at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Ludwig Center at Dana-Farber/Harvard Medical School now suggests that antibodies binding a particular protein conformation, caused by hyperactivation, might have distinct therapeutic advantages over antibodies, like cetuximab, that bind to wild-type (normal) target proteins.

A new antibody may be effective against both mutated forms of a protein linked to lung cancer, U.S. researchers report.

Budget cuts are threatening the future of new clinical trials that might save more lives.

Swedish-American Health System wants to take an all-hands-on-deck approach to lung cancer patients to streamline and improve care.

The new Multidisciplinary Lung Cancer Center at the hospital will bring together specialists in several areas to evaluate cases and speed up treatments, a team approach to care pioneered by the Mayo Clinic.

Lung cancer can be detected at its earliest stage in 85% of patients if they undergo low dose CT scanning on an annual basis, new findings have shown.

Furthermore where cancer is detected at this early stage, prompt surgery will ensure that almost all patients will survive for at least 10 years.