House Calls, 03-12-06

[tatlyn]

Sanjay Gupta (CNN, House Calls) had a good show on this morning. The fact that lung cancer research funding is woefully low as compared to breast, colon, etc., was mentioned; $14,000 in research dollars for each death to breast cancer as compared to $1,700 for each lung cancer

The subject of the stigma of the disease was discussed and either Sanjay said or the MD Anderson Doctor said (can't remember which) that, "public perception (it's a smoker's disease) drives public funding." Hardly news but nice to hear it admitted in the media. It was also touched on that such a high profile, non smoking related death such as Dana Reeve's could prove to move research forward and especially if other non smoker related lung cancers were brought to light.

A comment was made by the MD Anderson Doctor that there were not enough advocates' for lung cancer because, he said, "they die so quickly they never have a chance to hone their advocacy skills."

Lynda

[Lauriannessister]

In my opinion, families also need to hone their advocacy skills so that this does not happen to others. But I think that there is still the stigma that "they deserved lung cancer" because of smoking.

That is one of the reasons my family is trying so hard to get Laurianne's story out.