LungBlog

In both her professional and personal lives, Ann Dudurich’s voice touched many.

The purest evidence of that came with a speech Dudurich delivered in early 2009 at a that sales conference organized by OSI Pharmaceuticals — the company which created the cancer treatment pill Tarceva.

“She spoke to a roomful of people, off the cuff, for about 20 minutes. I’m a bit biased, but it was just a tremendous speech,” said her husband, Michael Dudurich. “I still cry every time I see the DVD of it.”

Ann Saul Dudurich, 50, of Greensburg, died in her home Sunday after a four-year battle with lung cancer.

Death rates for cancer are continuing a slow but steady decline in the U.S., due mainly to improved efforts at early detection, better treatments, and smoking cessation, the American Cancer Society (ACS) says in a new report.

Death rates for all cancers combined decreased 2% per year from 2001 to 2006 in males and 1.5% annually from 2002 to 2006 in females, the ACS says.

The report says lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers in men and lung, breast, and colorectal cancers in women continue to be the most common fatal cancers, accounting for about half of the total cancer deaths among men and women.

The ACS estimates that prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers will account for 52% of all newly diagnosed cases in 2010 in men. In women, breast, lung, and colorectal cancers will account for 52% of new diagnoses this year.

CAMPAIGNERS descended on York Hospital and Homebase to raise awareness of the asbestos-related cancer Mesothelioma.

The York Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer Support marked Action Mesothelioma Day yesterday by holding a stall at the hospital as part of its campaign for better care and support for people diagnosed with the illness A spokesman said mesothelioma was a terminal chest cancer which developed between 15 and 60 years after exposure to asbestos, and killed one person every five hours in the UK, but only six per cent of people knew what the disease was.

Lung cancer patients are likely to suffer significant stigma due to the disease’s link to smoking, according to a survey published today.

The research, which was carried out by Ipsos MORI on behalf of The Global Lung Cancer Coalition, investigated attitudes surrounding the disease, which is the biggest cancer killer worldwide.

Researchers found that between 10% and 29% of people in the countries surveyed admitted they felt less sympathetic towards lung cancer sufferers because of its known association with smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Dear Family & Friends,

As many of you know, my mother was diagnosed with stage 3A lung cancer just a little over a year ago. Being an otherwise healthy woman, her diagnosis came as a shock to all of us. After all, we had always thought lung cancer was a “smokers disease” and simply couldn’t happen to someone like my mom, who had NEVER smoked. Luckily, she is now in remission after removal of half her lung & four months of chemo. To celebrate we are going to “break our stride for lung cancer” by walking in the Jog for Jill San Francisco, a 5k race/walk to raise money for the Bonnie J. Addario, A Breath Away From The Cure, Foundation! We invite all of you to celebrate with us by either joining our team, or joining our fundraising efforts. We shot low with a goal of $1,000 because this is a first for us, but would really like to beat that goal! Please follow the link below to either join our team or make a donation:

Some retail news and notes out of southern Mecklenburg, northern York and Union counties:

Lung cancer survivor Anne Lynn and Cold Stone Creamery are teaming up again for another “Anne’s Booty Creation” flavor to support Lynn’s team at the 24 Hours of Booty charity cycling event. The flavor kickoff celebration is Thursday, 7 p.m., at the store’s Blakeney location, 9820 Rea Road. All proceeds from the sale of “Anne’s Booty Creation,” which includes chocolate ice cream mixed with Butterfingers, whipped cream, and topped with hot fudge – will be donated to the cycling event on behalf of Lynn’s team, Anne’s Pool Crew.

Jill Costello, the coxswain for the Cal women’s crew, died at UCSF Medical Center on Thursday after a yearlong battle with lung cancer during which she helped take the Bears close to a national championship. She was 22.

Ms. Costello, who attended St. Ignatius Prep in San Francisco, was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer, the most advanced form of the disease, shortly after the 2009 season ended. Despite 20 rounds of chemotherapy and 14 radiation treatments, she continued to compete on Cal’s top boat – its varsity 8 – which placed fourth in the NCAA Championships on May 30 at Lake Natoma near Sacramento.

Jill Costello, a coxswain on the Golden Bear women’s crew team, passed away Thursday, ending her year-long battle against stage IV lung cancer. Last month, Costello was named Pac-10 Women’s Rowing Athlete of the Year and graduated with a degree in political science after making the Pac-10 All-Academic second team.

A San Francisco, Calif., native, Costello was diagnosed with the illness on June 6, 2009. Despite battling the disease throughout the 2010 season, she continued to train and compete with the Bears. Costello coxed the varsity eight crew for the first time in her career at the Pac-10 Championships, leading the team to a close victory over Stanford and clinching the Pac-10 title for the Bears.

Costello was not only an inspiration for her teammates, but to other athletes at Cal and across the Conference. The Golden Bear men’s crew team wore ribbons in honor of Costello as they competed at the IRA Championships earlier this month. At the Big Row against rival Stanford, the Bears competed as “Team Jill,” and along with the Cardinal crew team, wore uniforms and used oars adorned in Costello’s favorite colors of navy and aquamarine green.

Jill Costello, a star on the Cal women’s crew squad and recent graduate, died Thursday morning, ending her year-long battle with lung cancer. She was 22.

Costello, the crew’s coxswain, was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer last June – which spread to her liver, breast and bones – though she remained part of the team throughout this past season. She had been admitted into the emergency room at the UCSF Medical Center Sunday night after her condition worsened.

Jill Costello ’06, a recent Cal graduate and a decorated athlete, died June 24 after a yearlong battle against stage IV lung cancer. She was 22.

Up until the end, she worked to raise money and awareness to combat the disease. Her courage, passion and love for others inspired not only her family but also thousands of friends at SI and Cal and even acquaintances at rival universities.