Why I Give to the Fight Against Lung Cancer

A recent New York Times article featuring the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer published inspired me to share about why I give to the fight against lung cancer.[1]


Lung Cancer, really? Tell me more.
Earlier this year, I asked the question “Which diseases impact Americans the most?” After some brief research I learned, perhaps not surprisingly, that the leaders of mortality in America were heart disease and cancer.[2] But several things about cancer did surprised me.

Cancer led in person-years of life lost (PYLL), the years of life lost due to early death from a particular cause or disease.[3] And most surprisingly, cancer of the lung & bronchus (what an under-campaigned disease!) leads all cancers in PYLL by an overwhelming amount, almost triple the runner up female breast cancer.[Figure 1] Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in men, and second in women.

Figure 1: Lung cancer leads in person-years of life lost. Source: National Center for Health Statistics, CDC. Cited in: Cancer Trends Progress Reports 2007, National Cancer Institute. Updated: June 1, 2008.

Why do you give to fight Lung Cancer?
I give to the fight against lung cancer for two reasons. First, it is a cancer that historically and continues to have relatively low five year predicted survival.[Figure 2] While treatment and survivorship of other cancers have increased over time, cancers of the lung & bronchus remain relatively unchanged in the past few decades.

Figure 2: Lung cancer survivorship is low. Five year relative survival rates. 1974-2000. Source: Cancer Trends Progress Report – 2007 Update. Figure L1. NCI. Accessed : June 1, 2008.

Second, I wonder if the fight against lung cancer could use more research funding. The National Cancer Institute’s Office of Budget and Finance showed that relative to other cancers, lung cancer received fewer research dollars than other extreme PYLL cancers. For example, in 2007 lung cancer received less than half of what breast cancer received, despite having nearly three times the impact. Personally, this juxtaposition challenges my attitudes towards lung cancer. Why does it seem easier for me to rally for the cause of a mother’s, sister’s or daughter’s breast cancer than another family member’s lung cancer? Could lung cancer, whose most common cause is long term tobacco exposure, be stigmatized as a consequence of vice and seem not as worthy for charitable giving?

Table: Research dollars (millions) disbursed by the National Cancer Institute, sorted in descending order of person-years life lost. Source: Office of Budget and Finance. 2007 Fact Book. NCI. Accessed: June 1, 2008.

This year, my convictions for attention to lung cancer were affirmed as major philanthropists gave generously to impacting the disease.[4] Hurray!


Where can one give? Two opportunities.
In recent months, I have been supporting two organizations selected to target long-term and short-term impact. The first is the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Over the past few presidential administrations, government funding for research has grown to be very competitive. Government funding for research is an intensive, peer-reviewed process, whereby experts rank and decide which projects and investigators to fund. Advances in research are important to the long-term development of understanding and treatment of diseases and conditions. Interested donors can give to the NCI Gift Fund, with a research designation for “lung cancer.” Details can be found here and here.

A more immediately impactful opportunity is the Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids. I believe one significant to positively impact the lung cancer battle is through supporting teen smoking cessation programs, and programs supporting teenagers. Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids is a national advocacy and education organization based in Washington DC. They target the prevention of adolescent smoking, smoking cessation, and reduction of exposure to second hand smoke. More details of the organization and how to give can be found here and here.

References:
[1] “New Cases of Cancer Decline in the U.S.” New York Times. Nov 25, 2008.
[2] Kung et al. “Deaths: Final Data 2005”. National Vital Statistics Reports 56:10. April 24, 2008. CDC.
[3] Center for Health Statistics, CDC. Cited in: Cancer Trends Progress Reports 2007, National Cancer Institute.
[4] “Billionaires Back Antismoking Effort.” New York Times. July 24, 2008.

Disclaimer: The information presented here is based on the author's investigative research and in no way reflects the official opinion of the New York Times, National Cancer Institute, Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids, or other cited organizations.