Most Promising Cancer Treatment Advances of 2011

December 29, 2011

New treatment therapies and promising results from a variety of clinical trials over this year are giving new hope to people affected by cancer. Showcased at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), held this past June in Chicago, these advances and breakthroughs in cancer treatments were especially encouraging for people with melanoma, breast cancer, lung cancer and numerous other diagnoses which have been difficult to treat.

CancerCare has compiled these most promising findings in its new booklet, Your Guide to the Latest Cancer Research and Treatments: Highlights from ASCO 2011, available online now. You can also order your free copies from our publications page.

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Posted by Jeanie M. Barnett

Huffington Post Blogger Honored for Coverage of Lung Cancer

November 29, 2011

The Huffington Post blogger Rob Densen is the recipient of the 2011 Global Lung Cancer Coalition Journalism Award, for raising awareness of lung cancer. Densen was honored for his blog entry, “The Last Refrigerator,” in which he reflects on his wife’s Stage IV lung cancer diagnosis, and the lack of funding for lung cancer research.

Excerpted from “The Last Refrigerator:”

“My wife has Stage IV lung cancer. Given the arc of the disease and the quality of refrigerator design and construction, it is highly probable that this [refrigerator we purchased] will be her last refrigerator. The question is, are we also on our last washing machine, hairdryer or big screen TV?

It is unbelievably painful — but sobering and highly instructive — to look at lung cancer that way. Diagnosed with lung cancer and you’re not talking decades, but kilowatt hours.”

Lung cancer is often referred to as being a “silent killer” due to lack of awareness and patients’ reluctance to discuss their diagnosis.  It is the least-funded of all major cancers, even though the mortality rate of people diagnosed with lung cancer is higher than most other cancers, and more men and women die of lung cancer than breast and prostate cancer combined.

Densen is founder and CEO of Tiller, Inc., a consulting firm based in New York City that works with major corporations to develop marketing programs for causes such as lung cancer awareness. Densen has devoted much of his blog coverage to raising awareness for lung cancer, urging more research and patient support.

Learn more about Tiller, Inc. and Rob Densen.

CancerCare is a participating member of The Global Lung Cancer Coalition. Visit the coalition’s website to learn more about early detection, treatment and supportive care.

CancerCare offers free, professional support services for anyone affected by a lung cancer diagnosis, including an upcoming Connect Education Workshop on December 14, “Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Coping with the Loss of Strength.”

To learn more about how we help people affected by lung cancer, visit our lung cancer diagnosis page or www.lungcancer.org.

[Pictured above: Huff Post Blogger and Tiller, Inc. CEO Rob Densen, with Prevent Cancer Foundation Founder and CEO Carolyn "Bo" Aldige in New York City on November 28, 2011]

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Lung Cancer Walk for Hope Sets Fundraising Record

November 9, 2011

More than 1,100 friends and supporters came together at the Town of Oyster Bay Golf Course in Woodbury, NY to walk in support of people affected by lung cancer and set a new fundraising record, at CancerCare’s 9th Annual Lung Cancer Walk for Hope on Nov. 6, raising more than $237,000 in support of CancerCare’s free, professional services for people affected by lung cancer.

Lung cancer survivor Phyllis Sobel and her team of fellow survivors, “For Our Heroes,” were honored with the “Anne Koebel Top Fundraiser Award” for raising more than $18,445 in support of our free services.

Team "For Our Heroes"

This year’s Top School Team was Molloy College, made up of 70 Molloy College athletes. Congratulations also to our Top Corporate Team, Team Marks Paneth & Shron, LLP, who raised over $10,000.

Molloy College's Baseball Team

You can still support our walkers through Dec. 31 by making a contribution online at our Walk for Hope site,  www.cancercare.org/lungcancerwalk

View more photos from the Walk on our Facebook page.

To learn more about how we help people affected by lung cancer, visit our lung cancer diagnosis page or www.lungcancer.org.

Thanks very much to this year’s generous sponsors, walkers, volunteers, in-kind donors, vendors, friends, and community partners for making this event such a success. See you next year!

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Meet Our Walkers: Stories From the Lung Cancer Walk for Hope

November 1, 2011

CancerCare held its 9th Annual Lung Cancer Walk for Hope, at the Town of Oyster Bay Golf Course in Woodbury, New York on Sunday, November 6. Meet some of the extraordinary people who turned out to walk with us and raise funds to support CancerCare‘s free, professional counseling and education services for people affected by lung cancer. Learn more about some of our extraordinary participants–and, make a donation through Dec. 31–who were among the more than 1,100 individuals and 70 teams who made our walk such a success this year. Visit the Walk for Hope website.

Meet some of our walkers:

“In June 2010, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer,” says 15-year-old Amber Veritzan, team captain for Team Marilyn’s Fight. “This diagnosis has changed our lives forever. My mother has been blessed with a great support system of family, friends, and co-workers to help her through her journey. I have decided to walk for CancerCare to raise awareness and funds for the cause and for those who do not have the support system that my mother has.”
Team DeLo captain Cathy Buoniello shares the store of her aunt’s diagnosis: “On June 22, 2010 Aunt Pat sat in her doctor’s office and listened to him give her the worst news she could ever imagine. He told her that she had Stage 4 lung cancer and all she could think was….’how could that be?’ Cancer can hit anyone at any time. I am hoping to make a difference and help those who are affected by [cancer].”

Team DeLo

Madelyn Stein will be out to honor the memory of her aunt, Marcia Pearl, as captain of Team Marcia.
“She started going to CancerCare lung cancer support group meetings during her chemo treatments,” says Stein. “The group helped her on lots of different levels. She spoke often and highly of the organization and of many individuals in the group who helped her get through her ordeal. It was a great comfort to her and she wanted to give back. We hope that if you can’t walk with us, then maybe you can give back to CancerCare, the organization that gave so much to my Aunt Marcia.”


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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

New Study Shows Early Detection of Lung Cancer Saves Lives

July 18, 2011

The results of a new study show how the CT scan is more effective than the X-ray as a screening tool to prevent deaths from lung cancer.

The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) followed current and former smokers who did not have any symptoms of lung cancer. Participants were scanned with either a CT scan or chest X-ray when they entered the study, and then at the end of their first and second years of the study.

Participants were then tracked for up to five years, during which time researchers recorded the deaths of participants from lung cancer. The results showed 20% fewer lung cancer deaths in people who were screened with a low-dose CT scan than with a chest X-ray.

These results are very encouraging, as a major hurdle to treating lung cancer has been diagnosing it early enough to begin effective treatment. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is exploring the most effective way to implement screening guidelines based on these results.

“The news of these results is welcomed by the entire lung cancer community as a major turning point in the way lung cancer can be detected and treated as an early stage disease,” says CancerCare National Lung Cancer Program Coordinator Win Boerckel, LCSW-R.

Read more about the National Lung Screening Trial.

CancerCare created www.lungcancer.org to serve as a source of information and support for people affected by lung cancer. You can also visit CancerCare’s lung cancer diagnosis page on our newly-designed website to learn more about our free, professional support services for people affected by lung cancer.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

New Video Highlights CancerCare’s 8th Annual Lung Cancer Walk

January 13, 2011

Many thanks to our supporters who helped make CancerCare’s 8th Annual Lung Cancer Walk in Woodbury, NY on November 8 such a success.  Supporters raised more than $200,000 for CancerCare’s National Lung Cancer Program, which provides free, professional support services to anyone affected by lung cancer.

Watch the video.

Check out the photos section of our facebook page to view photos from the Walk.

CancerCare‘s sister site, www.lungcancer.org, details our free support services and resources for anyone affected by a lung cancer diagnosis.  Visit the lung cancer support page on our general website to learn more about our free programs for people coping with lung cancer and their families.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric Honored for Coverage of Lung Cancer

November 30, 2010

Celebrated broadcast journalist and CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric is the recipient of the 2010 Global Lung Cancer Coalition Journalism Award, for raising awareness of lung cancer and its incidence especially among women. Couric devoted the “Notebook” segment of her nightly newscast on June 29 to lung cancer and called for more research dollars for better treatments and earlier detection. Watch the segment.

Couric has devoted a substantial amount of editorial coverage to cancer advocacy since losing her husband, attorney and news commentator Jay Monahan, to cancer in 1998.

Studies indicate that women are more susceptible to developing lung cancer than men are. About 250 women are diagnosed with lung cancer every day; 50 of them will have never smoked. The mortality rate of people diagnosed with lung cancer is higher than most other cancers, and more men and women die of lung cancer than breast and prostate cancer combined. Yet, lung cancer is the least-funded of all major cancers.

Visit The Global Lung Cancer Coalition’s website to learn more about early detection, treatment and supportive care.

CancerCare offers free, professional support services for anyone affected by a lung cancer diagnosis. Learn more about our National Lung Cancer Program at www.lungcancer.org.

[pictured above: CancerCare's Win Boerckel, Katie Couric, Prevent Cancer Foundation's Carolyn Aldige at the CBS News studio in New York City on Nov. 30, 2010]

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Support CancerCare Through Three Upcoming Fundraising Events

November 5, 2010

This Sunday, Nov. 7 marks the 8th Annual CancerCare Lung Cancer Walk at the Town of Oyster Bay Golf Course in Woodbury, NY.  Proceeds from the Walk support our National Lung Cancer Program that provides free support services to anyone affected by lung cancer.

Registration for the Walk is $40 for adults, $20 for students ages 13-22, and free for children 12 and under. For more information and to register, visit www.cancercare.org/lungcancerwalk.

A few miles away on that same Sunday, CaptainCare, aka Michelle Feingold, will run in the New York City Marathon in the guise of a caped crusader representing CancerCare. All funds raised by Michelle support CancerCare’s free programs—ask her to run in honor of someone you love who’s been affected by cancer at www.captaincare.org. Learn more about CaptainCare in her latest video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWcvxl9CVno.

The following week, on Nov. 14, the Lung Cancer Walk moves to coast to coast for the first ever west coast Lung Cancer Walk at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, CA. The registration fees are the same as listed for the Woodbury, NY Walk. Register to participate at www.cancercare.org/lungcancerwalk.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

CT scans reduce lung cancer deaths by 20% over X-rays, study finds

November 5, 2010

Newly published research findings reveal that screening current and former smokers using a procedure called low-dose helical computed tomography (CT) reduces lung cancer deaths by 20% over standard X-rays.

These long-awaited results come from the National Lung Screening Trial, sponsored in part by the National Cancer Institute. And this data is so significant that the trial was actually halted early by NCI based on these interim findings.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality in the U.S., and Win Boerckel, CancerCare’s National Lung Cancer Program Director notes that the question “What is an appropriate screening tool to detect early stage lung cancer?” has been a point of considerable conflict among lung cancer advocates and researchers for several years now.

Says Boerckel, “Hopefully, a finding so significant that the director of NCI ended the trial on the basis of an interim analysis will speed the approval of this screening technique for reimbursement by Medicare/Aid and subsequent payment approval by health insurers.”

For more information about the National Lung Screening Trial, read the New York Times article about the study.

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Posted by Monica Cavazos Mendez

Long Island Bowling Event Raises More than $10,000 for CancerCare

November 4, 2010

More than 200 bowling fans came out to support CancerCare on October 16 at the 4th Annual “Strike Out Lung Cancer” bowling event hosted at East Meadow Lanes. The event raised more than $10,000 for the 8th Annual Lung Cancer Walk, which benefits CancerCare’s National Lung Cancer Program and its free support services.

Team Butterflies L to R: Janet Orsini, Frankie Orsini, Kim Pellizzi, and James Pellizzi

The event was hosted by Kim & James Pellizzi along with Kim’s brother, Frankie, and her sister-in-law, Janet.  Kim and James first came to CancerCare for support in 2004 after Kim’s mother was diagnosed with lung cancer. After she passed away in 2005, the Pellizzi family created “Strike Out Lung Cancer” to raise funds and support others the way CancerCare supported them. Together, the fundraising group is known as Team Butterflies.

Come support CancerCare and Team Butterflies on Sunday, November 7th at the Town of Oyster Bay Golf Course in Woodbury, NY for the annual Lung Cancer Walk. Visit www.cancercare.org/lungcancerwalk to learn more and to register for the Walk.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

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