Archive for category Lung Cancer
National Lung Cancer Screening a Step Closer in the UK
Posted by Josh@SokoloveLaw in Lung Cancer on January 13, 2009
A national lung cancer screening program is a step closer to becoming a reality in the UK. A charity based in Liverpool is undertaking a study to look into the feasibility of a national screening program.
The idea of a national screening was once considered a “pipe dream” according to Ray Donnelly, the Founder and President of The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. The screening program has the potential to save thousands of lives as early detection is largely helpful in defeating lung cancer, with survival rates jumping from 5% to 80% when the disease is detected early on.
A program like this has the potential to be incredibly helpful for those diagnosed with mesothelioma, as the disease often goes undetected for years before it is ever noticed.
Learn more about mesothelioma.
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month
Posted by Josh@SokoloveLaw in Lung Cancer, Support on November 18, 2008
This year alone, lung cancer will claim 161,840 Americans’ lives. Moreover, according to federal government statistics, in 2004 more people died from lung cancer than from breast, prostate and colon cancer combined. Despite these glaring statistics, lung cancer seems to be one disease that people are less likely to think about, according to Ivy Tuason, program coordinator for the Lung Cancer Program at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center. “There is a need to focus on fighting lung cancer,” Tuason states.
Often times when dealing with lung cancer people will wait too long, at which point the cancer has already reached an advanced level, making it much more difficult to treat the cancer successfully. This is often the case with mesothelioma, the cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Even for those who may not wait too long, there is still no established screening process for lung cancer like there is for other forms such as breast, prostate, and colon cancer.
In an effort to bring much needed attention to lung cancer issues, November has been declared Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Throughout the month, rallies and fundraising events have been and continue to be held. Educational materials will and have been dispersed. In addition, it is encouraged that individual’s make their voices heard through media outlets and attempt to gain official attention for lung cancer with petitions, proclamations, and writing to your local representatives.
Learn more about mesothelioma awareness.
Cross Country Bus Tour to Fight Cancer
Posted by Emily@SokoloveLaw in Lung Cancer, Support on September 10, 2008
This year the American Cancer Society has created a new initiative to help fight cancer. The American Cancer Society (ASC): Cancer Action Network (CAN) Fight Back Express will travel across the country, stopping in hundreds of communities to build the movement to make cancer issues a national priority. ACS CAN will bring the stories of cancer patients, survivors and friends to the presidential candidates to make cancer a priority issue in their administration. The ACS bus aims to spur elected officials to promote prevention and early detection programs, boost funds for cancer research, to promote strong tobacco policies and to ensure access to quality affordable health care for all Americans.
To learn more about the ASC CAN Fight Back Express please watch the video below.
Also, to find out when the bus will be in your town, click here
Non-smokers and lung cancer
Posted by Emily@SokoloveLaw in Lung Cancer, Research on September 9, 2008
It’s been a common misconception that only smokers develop lung cancer. But for those of us familiar with mesothelioma, we know that lung disease can strike even the most unlikely victims.
The New York Times took a look recently non-smokers and lung cancer, using information from an enormous new study conducted in Europe, North America, and Asia. The study examined 2.4 million nonsmokers who had lung cancer. Researchers found that the overall risk of lung cancer to non-smokers is not increasing, but non-smokers will continue to comprise 10-15% of lung cancer patients.
Though the reason non-smokers develop lung cancer remains unclear, researchers suspect it comes down to genetic susceptibility combined with exposure to cancer-causing substances like asbestos, radon, certain solvents and other people’s tobacco smoke.
According to the New York Times, “Male nonsmokers are more likely than female nonsmokers to die of the disease, the study found, and the overall risk to nonsmokers is not increasing.”
If nothing else, the study clarifies the severity of the risk of smoking: a man who never smoked has a 1.1 in 100 risk of dying from lung cancer, but it jumps to 1 in 5 if he smokes. In women, the risk goes from 0.8 in 100 to 1 in 8. But there is hope: currently, about 59 percent of people in the United States say they never smoked, up from 44 percent in 1960.
The study identified some ambiguities that certainly warrant further investigation. For example, there are relatively high rates of lung cancer among nonsmoking women in parts of Pacific Rim countries. A leading researcher attributed this to the cooking fumes given off by woks, which probably contain all kinds of carcinogens, and added that the most likely culprit was cooking oil because it vaporizes at high temperatures.
The study was solid examination of the causes that claim the lives of 16,000 to 24,000 lung cancer patients annually.
Learn more about the causes of mesothelioma.
World’s first lung cancer vaccine approved in Cuba
Posted by Emily@SokoloveLaw in Lung Cancer, Research on July 3, 2008
Last week, the first vaccine to extend the lives of lung cancer patients was approved in Cuba. Though other similar vaccines are being tested around the world, the drug CimaVax EGF is the first to receive official endorsement; it is expected that CimaVax will be approved next in Peru, where it could be publicly accessible by the end of the year.
Unlike chemotherapy, CimaVax causes very few side effects. It uses a modified protein that attacks only the cancer cells, causing minimal adverse reaction in patients. Development for the vaccine began in 1992.
The cost of the treatment has not yet been determined. Cuban officials, however, have stated that they will welcome foreigners who seek vaccine administration. “It’s possible to provide this vaccine to any patient, because it’s available in Cuba, it’s approved by the Cuban drug agency so we can market the vaccine in Cuba and we can receive patients from outside,” said director of clinical investigations at Havana’s molecular immunology center.
Americans, however, will have difficulty accessing CimaVax. The trade embargo enacted in 1962 restricts travel to Cuba and will serious impede Americans’ ability to try this new therapy. In the US, CimaVax is in clinical trials and is not slated to finish for another two to three years.
Other cancer vaccines under development elsewhere include one made by Antigenics Inc against melanoma, and another made by Avant Immunotherapeutics Inc and licensed by drug giant Pfizer Inc that attacks deadly brain tumors. For the full story, click here.
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