Omar Renta
[email protected]
(212) 561- 7475
WASHINGTON, DC (November 12, 2019)—LUNGevity, the nation’s leading lung cancer-focused nonprofit organization, features the stories of lung cancer survivors and their families in its Inhale for Life: Clinical Trials public service campaign launched during Lung Cancer Awareness Month. This powerful social media video series aims to educate and encourage people living with lung cancer to explore treatment options that may be available to them through clinical trials.
Given the rapidly evolving therapeutic and diagnostic options available in lung cancer, clinical trials can provide a potential treatment option for lung cancer patients today. Trials are a critical resource for the discovery of new treatment methods for cancer, yet many people are unaware of them and the potential benefits they may receive by participating. Further, the treatment options available today would not have been possible without clinical trials and the patients who participated in them. Inhale for Life: Clinical Trials campaign stresses the importance of clinical trials and is designed to spread awareness to lung cancer patients and their families.
“The field of lung cancer research and patient care is accelerating at an exciting and truly remarkable pace,” says Andrea Ferris, President and CEO of LUNGevity Foundation. “More people live well with lung cancer today than ever before, and that is very good news, but, with more than 228,000 people expected to be diagnosed this year, we still have a long way to go. Our goal with Inhale for Life: Clinical Trials is to reach as many people as possible diagnosed with lung cancer and educate them about the importance and benefits of clinical trials.”
Lung cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world, with more than 1.8 million new cases diagnosed every year. Nearly 65% of all new diagnoses are nonsmokers. Today, through advancements in research, many lung cancer patients are living longer and better lives. Yet, the disease often goes undetected until late stages when it is harder to treat. LUNGevity is proud of its impact on improving outcomes for lung cancer patients through a better understanding of diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life, as well as through driving research and policy reforms.
Videos in the Inhale for Life: Clinical Trials series stress the importance of clinical trials and their potential role in the clinical care of patients. Thanks to the medical advances available through clinical trials, the lung cancer survivors featured are able to continue to live and thrive, from working high-level corporate jobs to celebrating milestones in the lives of their children and grandchildren; their lives kindles new hope for progress in lung cancer treatment and their participation helps demonstrate safety and efficacy of new drugs for future patients. While clinical trials may not be appropriate for all patients, the videos encourage viewers to talk to their doctor to see if a clinical trial could be right for them.
LUNGevity strives to ensure that all people diagnosed with lung cancer have access to optimal care and support to help them live their best lives possible. Because clinical trials can at times be the best treatment options available for some patients, LUNGevity advocates for access to trials so that all patients who are eligible can participate. LUNGevity provides support services to provide information to those considering a clinical trial, such as Clinical Trial Ambassadors, a peer-to-peer trial buddy matching service that pairs lung cancer clinical trial participants with someone who is considering participation, to provide encouragement and offer experiential insights.
A Clinical Trial Finder helps people find available clinical trials by type of lung cancer and geographic location. LUNGevity’s Scientific and Clinical Roundtable convenes multi-stakeholder participants, including regulators, industry leaders, clinicians and patients, and focuses on defining and then achieving ideal patient-centric, efficient, clinical trials and therapy development paradigms for lung cancer.
The Inhale for Life: Clinical Trials campaign is supported in part by grants from Amgen Oncology, Bristol-Myers Squibb, EMD Serono, and Genentech. The campaign can be seen at https://lungevity.org/inhale-for-life-clinical-trials.
About LUNGevity Foundation
LUNGevity is the nation's leading lung cancer organization investing in lifesaving, translational research and providing support services and education for patients and caregivers. LUNGevity’s goals are three-fold: (1) accelerate research to patients, (2) empower patients to be active participants in their treatment decisions, and (3) remove barriers that patients face in accessing the right treatments.
LUNGevity Foundation is firmly committed to making an immediate impact on increasing quality of life and survivorship of people with lung cancer by accelerating research into early detection and more effective treatments, as well as by providing community, support, and education for all those affected by the disease. LUNGevity’s comprehensive resources include a medically vetted website, a toll-free HELPLine in partnership with CancerCare®, a unique Lung Cancer Navigator app, peer-to-peer mentoring for patients and caregivers (LUNGevity LifeLine), and survivorship conferences. LUNGevity also helps patients find and navigate clinical trials through our Clinical Trial Finder tool, a Clinical Trial Ambassador program, and participation with EmergingMed.
About Lung Cancer in the U.S.
- About 1 in 16 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer in their lifetime
- More than 228,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year
- About 60%-65% of all new lung cancer diagnoses are among people who have never smoked or are former smokers
- Lung cancer takes more lives than the next three leading cancers (colorectal, breast, and prostate) combined
- Only 19% of all people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive 5 years or more, BUT if it’s caught before it spreads, the chance of 5-year survival improves dramatically
Our vision is a world where no one dies of lung cancer. For more information about LUNGevity Foundation, a four-star Charity Navigator organization, please visit www.LUNGevity.org.