Lung Cancer Awareness Month: Trends, Advocacy and Caregivers in the Spotlight
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, a time when the medical community, patients and their loved ones, advocacy organizations and industry come together to raise awareness and support for the number one cancer killer of men and women in the United States.
Lung Cancer Trends
For example, this year, the American Lung Association is focusing on its LUNG FORCE initiative, established to unite the nation to stand together against lung cancer. Throughout the month, the Lung Association will be sharing new lung cancer data on the progress made against the disease. Its annual “State of Lung Cancer” report shows how the toll of lung cancer varies by state and examines key indicators throughout the U.S. including new cases, survival, early diagnosis, surgical treatment, lack of treatment and screening rates. For the first time, the 2020 “State of Lung Cancer” report explores the lung cancer burden among racial and ethic groups at the national and state levels.
“Our goal during Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and every month, is to raise critical awareness in an effort to save more lives,” said Albert Rizzo, MD, Chief Medical Officer, American Lung Association.
Lung Cancer Advocacy
LUNGevity Foundation will promote its new LUNGevity Action Network, an engagement program designed to foster lung cancer advocacy. The Network empowers advocates to complete policy and awareness actions to help drive change and improve lives and outcomes of those affected by the disease.
“Lung cancer is an historically stigmatized and underfunded disease,” explained Kristen Santiago, Senior Director of Public Policy, LUNGevity Foundation. “The lung cancer community needs a powerful and unified way to bring about change.”
Through the Network’s policy-related actions, members can make their voices heard on issues that affect the lung cancer community by writing their congressmen, signing petitions, and commenting on new regulations. Through the Network’s awareness-related actions, members can help spread the word about lung cancer by educating, engaging, and empowering their community using actions such as sharing their personal story, creating, and posting important information on social media, and distributing educational materials locally.
Caring for Cancer Caregivers
It is important to remember the crucial role that family caregivers play in supporting patients with lung cancer, not only during Lung Cancer Awareness Month, but always. Here, Real World Health Care is honored to do so by sharing two posts that were part of our Caregiving series in 2019.
In Lung Cancer: Being a Better Caregiver, Deborah P. Brown, Chief Mission Officer of the American Lung Association, shares information about the Association’s programs and services for both patients and their caregivers.
In Lung Cancer Caregivers in the Spotlight at COPE Summit, Katie Brown, OPN-CG, Vice President of Support and Survivorship Programs at LUNGevity Foundation, highlights the importance of self-care for caregivers.
A Message from Our Sponsor
Real World Health Care and our sponsor, the HealthWell Foundation, encourage our subscribers to support the lung cancer patient community this month by getting involved, spreading the word, or making a donation to help advance research, programs and services for lung cancer patients and their support systems.
Medicare patients with Small Cell Lung Cancer who are having trouble affording their treatment copays may qualify for financial assistance through HealthWell’s Small Cell Lung Cancer – Medicare Access Fund. To learn how you can support this or other HealthWell programs, visit HealthWellFoundation.org.