In Feb of 2004, my mother died of lung cancer and this year Peter Jennings died from lung cancer.

Christopher Reeve's wife was also recently diagnosed with lung cancer.

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month and I wanted to provide some information that some may not know about Lung Cancer ESPECIALLY the fact that more ppl die of lung cancer per year than ALL other cancers COMBINED and that there has been limited funding for lung cancer research.

For additional info:

http://www.lungcanceralli.../index.php



Lung Cancer Facts



Lung cancer causes 30% of all cancer deaths.

Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer among Caucasians, African-Americans, Asians and Hispanic males.

Lung cancer will kill more people this year than:

breast cancer
prostate cancer
colon cancer
liver cancer
kidney cancer
melanoma...combined


Lung cancer will kill three times as many men as prostate cancer this year.


Lung cancer will kill nearly twice as many women as breast cancer this year.


Over 50% of new lung cancer cases will be diagnosed at a very late stage—Stage IIIb or IV— and only 5% of them will live for 5 years.


Myth: After you stop smoking, your lungs go back to normal in 10 years.


Truth: The lungs never go back to normal. Most former smokers remain at elevated risk.

Current smokers: 35-40% of new lung cancer cases
Former smokers: 50% of new lung cancer cases
Never smoked: 10-15% of new lung cancer cases




Cancer Research Funding

National Cancer Institute (NCI): In 1971, President Nixon and Congress declared a War on Cancer.

At that time, lung cancer was the leading cause of cancer death—it still is today.

Funding for NCI grew from $400 million per year in 1971 to $4.78 billion in 2005. Most major cancers have benefited with
increasingly high five-year survival rates.

The underfunding of lung cancer research has kept its survival rate
almost as low as it was in 1971.

Department of Defense (DOD): In 1992, Congress started funding cancer research programs at DOD.

From 1992 to 2004, DOD funding for breast cancer research totaled $1.66 billion. An additional $150 million has been appropriated for 2005. Prostate cancer research totaled $565 million from 1997-2004. Another $85 million has been appropriated for 2005.

Lung cancer research received only $33 million from 1999 to 2004,
with just $2.1 million appropriated for 2005.

Centers for Disease Control (CDC): Congress also earmarks funding within CDC for specific cancers. The 2005 budget includes $204 million for breast and cervical cancer research, $14 million for prostate cancer research, and $14.6 million for colon cancer research.

The 2005 budget includes $0 for lung cancer research.

Ugh! Why did I ever start smoking?

I'd still like to believe that myth about what happens after you quit. So you're telling me there's no improvement whatsover? I guess your lungs not getting any worse is an improvement of sorts compared to continuing to smoke. I suppose if you only smoked for a short time and then quit and your lungs remained the same you might be fortunate in that there may not be too much damage. Scary though.

...
[Edited 11/4/05 3:58am]

I am so sorry to hear that you lost your mother, Rhonda. I have an aunt who was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago and she beat it, thank God. I know what its like to lose a family member to a disease that could be prevented if diagnosed early enough. We have to do a better job of educating people about these types of things. It hurts so bad to lose someone so we have to make awareness a high priority in our lives and pressure Congress to make ciggarettes illegal. Second hand smoke is killing us as well. We have to make this a major priority in the fight for better health.

Rhondababy

Being a smoker, I thank you for this reminder..

thank u.
[Edited 11/4/05 9:19am]

everyone....


Just pass on this info. I probably will become more involved in education on this topic since it hit so close to home and so many ppl are affected.