The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation
The Lung Cancer Foundation's

LungBlog

An up-to-the-minute dose of health and hope for lung cancer

Bonnie Addario in UCSF Lab
 

Archive for November, 2008

Breaking down the stigma about lung cancer

lungs.jpgA cancer diagnosis usually evokes sympathy - except when the diagnosis is lung cancer.

Then, more often than not, people blame the patient for his or her condition!

That’s the word from a survey by the Lung Cancer Alliance.

The Alliance says patients feel stigmatized, not just by neighbors, friends, and family, but by doctors and nurses as well. The organization is trying to tear down the stigma with some frank talk.

One point - lung cancer isn’t just about tobacco.

 

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Why some ex-smokers develop lung cancer and some don’t

_44532846_cigarettes226.jpgThe risk of developing lung cancer might be tied to genes, says the team.

Cigarette smoke exposure has been shown to activate genes that promote cancer and deactivate genes that stop tumour growth.

They found that alteration in DNA methylation, a vital process, which regulates gene expression during normal development, might explain why former smokers develop lung cancer.

 

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Operaton Holiday: Battling lung cancer, mom has no extra for kids’ gifts

womans face.jpgMaureen’s prolonged battle with lung cancer may mean another less than joyful Christmas.

The mother of three (Case B-4) was diagnosed in fall 2007 and has been unable to work since then due to the difficulties of her illness and the side effects of her treatment. Her children, Roger, 9, Marc, 8, and Mimi, 7, have done all they can to help their mom, but the hard times are taking a toll on them, too.

 

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Living longer with cancer

quit.jpgIn 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention paid for the creation of the Wyoming Comprehensive Cancer Control Consortium. The goal of the group is to reduce the burden of cancer.

Screenings are an effective tool to fight cancer, said Loretta Wolf from the Wyoming branch of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and a member of the cancer control consortium. And the state has made great strides to get more residents checked.

Lawyer said screenings can catch an abnormal tissue growth before it becomes colorectal cancer. A push for cessation programs in Wyoming gives more people the tools to quit smoking and avoid lung cancer.

 

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Free to Breathe 5K events in North Carolina Raise Funding and Awareness of Lung Cancer

walk.jpgEarly morning rain showers did nothing to deter the more than 900 participants who walked and ran in the second annual Duke Cancer Center Raleigh Free to Breathe® 5K Run/Walk and Rally for lung cancer at North Carolina State Centennial Campus Saturday. The event, which was organized by the North Carolina Lung Cancer Partnership, was dedicated to raising funding and awareness of the number one cancer killer in this country.Young lung cancer survivor and college student, Taylor Bell, was among those running in the Raleigh race despite her diminished lung capacity from surgery to remove much of her left lung last year. The 22-year-old lifelong nonsmoker is an involved member and spokesperson for the North Carolina Lung Cancer Partnership, the first state chapter of the National Lung Cancer Partnership

 

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Five-year cancer plan will invest £1.5billion

cancer_cells.jpgA major cancer charity is to invest £300million a year for five years to boost research into the most serious forms of the disease.

Cancer Research UK has today launched its ambitious five-year plan to spend £1.5billion on core areas of science to reduce cancer deaths, including greater investment in those areas where survival rates remain poor.

This includes pancreatic, oesophageal or lung cancer, for which the 10-year survival rate is only around 5%.

 

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Dad’s cough was lung cancer

18027044_240X180.jpg12421026.jpgHE went for a routine check-up to his doctor.

But now Huddersfield grandad Terry McDermott is campaigning to highlight the importance of early detection in the fight against lung cancer.

Mr McDermott, 69, of Newsome, had his lung cancer detected as a result of a routine visit to his GP surgery.

 

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‘Intense’ cancer blog became an inspiration to all

Taillon.jpgIt is very difficult to deal with normal life experiences, wrote Serge Taillon on his blog in August 2007, when also planning one’s funeral.

“I deal with it as best I can — by hoping for the best and preparing for the worst,” he wrote.

Last Saturday, the 52-year old father who chronicled his 41/2-year battle with cancer on an Internet blog, died in his Orléans home.

 

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Early diagnosis is vital in lung cancer fight

radiofrequency ablation.jpg LUNG cancer is Scotland’s biggest cancer killer and a new person is diagnosed with this disease every 15 minutes. In total, that equates to more than 38,000 people being told they have lung cancer each year throughout the UK.
Indeed, last year in Scotland, more than 4000 people – almost 600 in the Lothians – died of this horrible disease.

One of the reasons why lung cancer has one of the lowest survival rates of any cancer is because all too often it is diagnosed at a late stage.

 

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Truly thankful

polozola.jpgOn a day when many are thankful for a second helping of turkey, Thanksgiving for the Polozola family has a much deeper meaning.
Today will be an extra special occasion for the family because it is one more holiday spent with Sharron Polozola.

Polozola is a four-year stage IV lung cancer survivor. “My story is one of hope and never giving up,” she said.

In October 2004, at the age of 43, Polozola was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer.

Aside from November being National Lung Cancer Awareness Month, it is also a reflective time of year for Polozola.

 

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