Support For Lung Cancer Patients, Research Has Not Increased Despite High Mortality Rate Among Women

Main Category: Lung Cancer
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 22 Nov 2006 - 9:00 PDT

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Although lung cancer mortality rates have surpassed breast cancer mortality rates among women, support for lung cancer patients and for treatment research has not increased, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Allday, San Francisco Chronicle, 11/17). Lung cancer this year is expected to cause the deaths of an estimated 162,000 people in the U.S., 72,000 of whom likely will be women. Rates of lung cancer deaths among women have held steady in recent years, while the rates of lung cancer deaths among men have decreased. However, women on average survive longer after developing lung cancer than men, and the newest drugs to treat the disease, Tarceva and Iressa, have been more effective in women (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/31). Support for fighting lung cancer has not increased in part because many patients often are "made to feel that they brought it on themselves," according to the Chronicle. Heather Wakelee, an assistant professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, said, "Women are still much more afraid of breast cancer, and part of that is the stigma. It's relatively underdiscussed and underfunded." The National Cancer Institute in 2005 spent $560 million on breast cancer research and $266 million on lung cancer research, the Chronicle reports. According to the Chronicle, the effect of a potential funding increase for lung cancer research is not known in part because the disease is "especially difficult" to diagnose and treat. Some physicians say it is essential for researchers to develop a diagnostic tool for lung cancer that is as simple and effective as mammograms are in diagnosing breast cancer. About 15% of people diagnosed with lung cancer live five years, while about 50% of those diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer survive for five years and 38% survive for 10 years, according to NCI. The main diagnostic tools for lung cancer are chest X-rays and CT scans, but X-rays often do not catch early-stage tumors and CT scans can be too sensitive and expensive, ranging from $200 to $500 a scan, the Chronicle reports. A panel of physicians organized by the Lung Cancer Alliance and people diagnosed with lung cancer on Friday at the University of California-San Francisco were scheduled to discuss aspects of the disease, new treatments and methods to raise awareness (San Francisco Chronicle, 11/17).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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