Detecting Lung Cancer Blog

We’ve posted many times in the past about the stigma associated with lung cancer. Many people, especially celebrities with a larger platform, tend to keep silent about lung cancer. George Harrison, Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys, Nat “King” Cole, Eddie Kendrick of the Temptations, Jimmy Dorsey, Rosemary Clooney, Sarah Vaughan, Duke Ellington, Bob Marley, Gerard Smith of TV of the Radio, Sandy West of the Runaways, Doug Fieger of the Knack (of the My Sharona fame) and so many more have perished from the disease, yet we hear so little about it.

When compared to other cancers, lung cancer is seemingly unknown. It is often associated with smoking and considered to be very deadly, but few people know anything further than that about the disease.

Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer, killing more than 160,000 people in the United States alone each year. That is equal to the population of Dayton, OH, killed each year by this deadly disease . Despite this, in the United States, lung cancer receives just $1,200 of federal funding per death, while breast cancer receives more than $27,000 per death, followed by $14,000 for prostate cancer and $6,500 for colon cancer.

That is why we at Oncimmune value raising more awareness for lung cancer – and why we are excited to share with you one of our most recent lung cancer awareness campaigns.

The survival numbers for small cell lung cancer are anything but encouraging. According to the National Library of Medicine:

“Everything happens for a reason.”

While sitting at a restaurant a few months ago, a magazine ad caught Joy’s eye – She saw an advertisement for early lung cancer detection, in the form of a CAT scan.

“Being a smoker, I said, ok, I’m going to do this,” she said.

Despite experiencing no lung cancer symptoms, such as cough, shortness of breath or chest pain at the time, the CAT scan showed a small nodule, or spot, on Joy’s lung. She was referred to a pulmonary doctor, who recommended EarlyCDT-Lung, a blood test to aid in early lung cancer detection. Joy’s test came back positive.

Even though the nodule was small, the Joy was not experiencing any symptoms, she has a strong family history of cancer, and she said that she “knew it was cancer,” and that she wanted the nodule removed.

Music lost another legend on Wednesday, May 16 – Famous disco legend Donna Summer passed away after battling the disease.

Her family has not released details about her illness, so it is unknown what type of lung cancer she had, and how long she may have been ailing. In fact, Summer’s entire battle with lung cancer was kept very secret from the general public. In addition to just wanting general privacy, the LA Times suggests that Summer and her family may have had different reasons for keeping silent on her disease.

According to some news reports, Summer hoped to keep her medical condition under wraps. The reasons why are unknown -- but according to Rachel Schwartz, a spokeswoman for the Lung Cancer Foundation of America, it’s not unusual for people with lung cancer to feel ashamed of having the disease, because it is so closely associated with a negative behavior: smoking.

The TMZ headline is shocking – “9/11 Gave Me Cancer.”

That is the recent story released around the death of Donna Summer, famous disco singer, who reportedly battled lung cancer before her death.

We’ve lost many great musical talents to lung cancer, and the newest is no different. According to Huffington Post, Donna Summer, famous disco legend, passed away at age 63, after a battle with lung cancer.

TMZ reported that Summer was private about her illness, and that there may have been a connection between debris from 9/11 and her lung cancer.

In the past, we’ve had many posts on the stigma of lung cancer, and how that could lead to a lack of funding for lung cancer. But one big question still remains – could the guilt that smokers feel actually be a lung cancer risk factor?

Not surprisingly, a lung cancer diagnosis often causes the patient to grieve. Lung cancer is a serious illness, often detected at an advanced stage when the chances of recovery are greatly reduced. Sadness and anger at the situation seem to be a natural reaction—depression, however, is another story.

It is common knowledge that smoking is hazardous for your health, but often, people overlook the facts because they are addicted to smoking.

However, it is important to remember that it’s not just the heavy smokers who get lung cancer – even light smoking can increase your lung cancer risk.

According to this article from CBS News, “Scientists who studied the health records of 43,000 men and women have shown that smoking fewer than five cigarettes a day, commonly known as light smoking, triples the risk of dying of heart disease or lung cancer in men. In women the increased risk of lung cancer was five times greater.”

Not only do light smokers get cancer, however – non-smokers, such as Michaelle, featured in this story, also contract the disease.

One thing is clear – regardless of your smoking history, everyone should be aware of the common lung cancer symptoms. While smokers and ex-smokers remain at higher risk for lung cancer, everyone should know about the common symptoms of the disease, and talk to their doctor about lung cancer.

Surrounding the excitement of the Beach Boys 50^th Anniversary Tour is a sobering reminder about the number one cancer killer, and the amount of people that it impacts each and every day.

Carl Wilson, a founding member of the Beach Boys, succumbed to lung cancer in 1998.

According to this Rolling Stone article, Wilson, 51, was battling the disease for about a year and died with his family by his side. Although he was diagnosed with cancer last year and underwent chemotherapy, Wilson insisted on being a part of the Beach Boys tour the summer before he passed.

Wilson is just one of many well-known people who have passed from lung cancer, even though the disease is not often spoken about, particularly in Hollywood.

When compared to other cancers, lung cancer is seemingly unknown. It is often associated with smoking and considered to be very deadly, but few people know anything further than that about the disease.

Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer, killing more than 160,000 people in the United States alone each year. That is equal to the population of Dayton, OH, killed each year by this deadly disease . Despite this, in the United States, lung cancer receives just $1,200 of federal funding per death, while breast cancer receives more than $27,000 per death, followed by $14,000 for prostate cancer and $6,500 for colon cancer.

That is why we at Oncimmune value raising more awareness for lung cancer – and why we are excited to announce our most recent lung cancer awareness campaign.