November Is Lung Cancer Awareness Month

by Anne Lambert, MS

From 1996 to 2003, only 16% of lung cancer was diagnosed at an early, more treatable stage. By contrast, 61% of breast cancers, 39% of colon cancers, and 91% of prostate cancers were diagnosed at an early stage. These diseases are in the forefront of the public’s awareness and screening for these cancers is strongly encouraged.(1)

Over the last 30 years, 5-year survival rates for breast cancer have increased from 75% to 89%. For lung cancer, the 5-year survival rate has only increased from 13% to 16% over the same time period. During Lung Cancer Awareness Month, groups around the country are working to raise awareness about lung cancer so that people will realize that lung cancer can happen to anyone regardless of age, sex, or smoking status. The Stand Up to Cancer fundraiser, televised on all three major networks in September 2008, raised more than 100 million dollars for cancer research, although it is not clear how many of those dollars will directly impact research into lung cancer. Free to Breathe® 5K run and 1K walk events are bringing lung cancer awareness to local communities and shedding light on the “invisible” cancer.(2)

In the United States, about 90% of lung cancer deaths in men and almost 80% of lung cancer deaths in women are due to smoking. People who smoke are 10 to 20 times more likely to get lung cancer or die from lung cancer than people who do not smoke. And the 2006 Surgeon General's Report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, concludes there is no safe level of secondhand smoke for nonsmokers. Radon, an odorless, colorless gas that can get trapped in homes and other buildings, also causes lung cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends that all homes be tested for radon. In addition, substances found at some workplaces can increase the risk of lung cancer, including asbestos, arsenic, and some forms of silica and chromium.(3)

There has been increased interest in lung cancer that affects never-smokers. Clinical studies have shown that lung tumors in these patients have a different molecular profile and better response to targeted therapy than cancers in smokers, and in some respects represent a different type of cancer.(4) There has also been a heightened misperception about an increase in cases of lung cancer in never-smokers. To address this concern, a recent study pooled information on lung cancer incidence and/or death rates among self-reported never-smokers from 13 large cohort studies and 22 cancer registries in 10 countries. The principal author, Dr. Michael Thun of the American Cancer Society, said, “[…] over the last 50 to 70 years, there has been no increase in lung cancer among people who have never smoked. […].(5)

At the National Lung Cancer Partnership’s 2008 annual meeting, Dr. John Neiderhuber, Director of the National Cancer Institute, said that $13 million had been funded to address the role of inflammation in lung cancer and to establish a research program to identify and characterize lung cancer stem cells, which are thought to play a role in the initiation and metastasis of cancer.(2) More research is underway on targeted drug therapies, genetic profiling, biomarkers in blood and sputum, and even vaccines. Continuing advances in imaging technologies, and the ability to track minute changes in lung nodules provide a potential increase for targeted drug development.(1)

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References

1. Lung Cancer Alliance
   http://www.lungcanceralliance.org/involved/reportcard.html
2. Lung Cancer Voice Fall 2008 National Lung Cancer Partnership. Available at: http://www.NationalLungCancerPartnership.org
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at:
   http://www.cdc.gov/Features/LungCancer
4. Subramanian J, Govindan R. Lung cancer in never smokers: a review. J Clin Oncol 2007;25:561–570.
5. Thun MJ, Hannan LM, Adams-Campbell LL, et al. Lung cancer occurrence in never-smokers: an analysis of 13 cohorts and 22 cancer registry studies. PLoS Medicine 2008;5:e185.