An estimated 224,390 people are diagnosed with lung cancer annually across the United States, and up to 85 percent of all lung cancers are non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). Each year, more people die from lung cancer than colon, breast and prostate cancers combined.
A new statewide lung cancer clinical research initiative, Known as “Beating Lung Cancer - in Ohio” (BLC-IO), is supported by a $3 million grant from Pelotonia. It is led by Peter Shields, MD, David Carbone, MD, PhD, and Mary Ellen Wewers, PhD. Recruitment will take place over three years starting in March 2017.
The study has two aims: to evaluate the impact of advanced gene testing and expert advice on lung cancer treatment and subsequent patient survival; and to improve smoking cessation rates among smokers with lung cancer and their family members. Improvements in patient quality of life will be assessed in both study aims. Key partners include Foundation Medicine, a leading cancer gene testing company, and the Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, which was established in 2006 to support lung cancer patients and fund lung cancer research.
Ohio is ranked in 11th for cancer mortality and more Ohioans report smoking cigarettes (22 percent) compared to the national average (18 percent) — the leading risk factor for lung cancer as well as a leading risk factor for many other cancers.
The James Cancer-Free World Podcast
Peter is the deputy director of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and a lung cancer expert. In this episode, he fills us in on the Pelotonia-funded Beating Lung Cancer in Ohio (BLC-IO). In this new clinical trial, Stage 4 lung cancer patients from all over Ohio receive advanced genetic testing to determine the best treatment for their cancer.