Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for about 15% of all lung cancers, and is found most often in people with a history of tobacco exposure. SCLC is an aggressive disease with cancer cells that grow and divide rapidly. Because chemotherapy targets fast-growing cells, patients with SCLC often have good results with initial chemotherapy treatment.
After their childhood friend Jordan Christie was diagnosed with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer at the age of 25, friends Kyle, Jessica, Colin, Matt, Kellie, Julie, and Mike wanted to help. They saw first-hand how difficult living with lung cancer could be. The friends knew they could have an impact by raising money to help fund the two things that helped Jordan the most: new treatments and support programs.
Dr. Raymond Osarogiagbon, MBBS, FACP is LUNGevity Foundation’s third Community Champions recipient.
During his tenure at Baptist Memorial Health Care, Dr. Osarogiagbon has overseen the successful growth of Baptist’s lung cancer initiatives, targeting communities across Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee. These efforts include a tobacco control program, low-dose CT lung cancer screenings, with the ultimate goal of reducing lung cancer mortality in the Mid-South.
I was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in August 2013. Many people don’t understand that if you are diagnosed with advanced stage lung cancer like me, there is currently no cure. There are drugs that help treat the cancer and give you more time on this planet, but you have to deal with long-term effects for the rest of your life.
Coming to terms with a lung cancer diagnosis can be difficult. You might feel anxious, angry, or out of control. You might have difficulty sleeping or perhaps unable to even talk about your diagnosis. According to Leigh Ann Caulkins, MSW, LCSW, ACHIP-SW, Oncology Clinical Therapist at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus in Falls Church, VA, this is all completely normal. It’s called an “adjustment reaction.”
This article is intended to be used for informational purposes and not to be taken as medical advice. The piece was reviewed for accuracy by Dr. Richard Dunne, MD, medical oncologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Rochester.
Cancer cachexia, also known as wasting syndrome or anorexia-cachexia, is estimated to affect 50% of lung cancer patients. Despite being common, most patients don’t know what it is or even if they have it.
The night before I was diagnosed with lung cancer, my doctor called me at 7pm, asking me to come in the next day; it was an emergency. I wasn’t sure exactly what she was going to tell me, but I had had my lungs scanned earlier that day to check on a small spot, so I assumed the worst.
In recent years, great strides have been made in understanding and treating lung cancer. While we’re excited to see these many developments, our priority at LUNGevity is to ensure patient voices, priorities, and experiences are considered as part of these improvements. In the clinical trial space, despite more calls for greater patient centricity, there are still areas lacking, such as how patient-reported data are analyzed and presented.
The day before my lung biopsy, May 18, 2020, I ran 7 miles. As I was running, I couldn’t help but think there is no way I have lung cancer. Yet, when the results of my biopsy came back, that’s exactly what I was diagnosed with: stage I adenocarcinoma non-small cell lung cancer.
53 days after Julie Jones had video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) to remove the lower lobe of her right lung, Julie ran a half marathon. Even more impressive, she finished only about 10 minutes slower than her previous half marathon, about three weeks before her lung surgery.
