The Caring Ambassadors Program provides this website to help you and your loved ones
understand your disease and some of the health care options available to you.
Our three main methods to fight lung cancer are to Empower patients and providers with access to free educational materials, and resources; to Educate communities about the importance of screening and to share current information with patients and their families; and to Advocate for access to screening and treatment for lung cancer for all communities. Knowledge empowers you to ask the necessary questions to become your own best advocate. When your questions have been asked and answered, you and your health care providers will be in the best possible situation to determine the best treatment approach for you.
Lung Cancer Choices,© 5th Edition can be a useful tool for anyone who is caring for someone with lung cancer, but its primary focus is on the patient. This book is suitable for both the newly diagnosed and those who have been living with lung cancer for some time.
MY CHOICES© is a tool to help you recognize and act upon what you can control in your health care journey to achieve optimal healing, regardless of the illness you face. It contains elements of a guide book, health planner, journal, and activity book to help orient you to and plan for the journey ahead.
Weekly News Update. Caring Ambassadors Program provides 3 weekly news updates covering Lung Cancer News, Hepatitis C News, and My Choices© Update. Receive them delivered weekly to your inbox.
Weekly News Update
Lung Cancer News
Week Ending June 5, 2023
Antibody-Drug Conjugates, Lung Cancer Late-Breaker to Take Center Stage at ASCO
“The American Society of Clinical Oncology 2023 annual meeting, which kicks off Friday in Chicago, will feature one of the hottest emergent areas of cancer treatment—antibody-drug conjugates. Biopharma companies are betting big on ADCs and the technology from BioNTech and Merck—among others—are the subject of several high-profile ASCO abstracts.”
An Oncologist’s Advice for Finding a Path Forward When Living With Lung Cancer
“When a person who has been faced with a diagnosis of non-metastatic lung cancer (cancer that has not yet spread) finally completes their treatment or has surgery, they may feel excitement, joy and hope for the future. They often celebrate with their friends and family, and share a collective sigh of relief. But for many people, these feelings can soon give way to the fear that their cancer may come back.”
One Million People Complete Lifesaving Quiz for Lung Cancer Screening
“CHICAGO, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The American Lung Association today announced it reached an important milestone in the efforts to end lung cancer. As a part of the “Saved by the Scan” campaign, more than one million people, 1,051,303 as of April 2023, have completed an online quiz to determine if they are eligible for lifesaving lung cancer screening. Twenty-five percent of those who have taken the quiz since the campaign’s inception were found to be high-risk for lung cancer and eligible for screening.”
Lung Cancer: Types, Differences, and Survival Rates
“Lung cancer accounts for 12.4% of all cancers and is the most prevalent cancer worldwide. In the United States, lung cancer has the highest cancer-associated death rate. Although smoking is the leading cause, 10–20% of lung cancers occur in non-smokers.”
Lung cancer pill cuts risk of death by half, says ‘thrilling’ study
“A pill taken once a day cuts the risk of dying from lung cancer by half, according to “thrilling” and “unprecedented” results from a decade-long global study.”
‘Extraordinary’ survival data for lung cancer patients is seen as boost for AstraZeneca drug
“CHICAGO — Giving the AstraZeneca drug Tagrisso to patients with non-small cell lung cancer who have had their tumors removed reduced the risk of death by 51%, researchers said Sunday.”
Ground-breaking warhead drug means the cure for lung cancer may FINALLY be on the horizon
“Three new advances are set to transform lung cancer treatment – turning the tide on a disease that is often considered a death sentence. Someone in the UK is diagnosed with lung cancer every ten minutes – amounting to roughly 50,000 new patients each year – and just a quarter survive five years. Some 35,000 die of it annually, making it our biggest cancer killer.”
IARC researchers identify early blood protein markers of lung cancer that may improve early detection
“Researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and partner institutions have identified protein markers in blood samples that are associated with future lung cancer diagnosis, and have developed an algorithm based on these markers to predict future lung cancer cases. These important complementary findings were published today as separate articles in Nature Communications and the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.”
Medical student awarded grant to study lung cancer therapies
“Matthew Lara receives the 2023 Daniel T. O’Connor, M.D. Memorial Research Grant”
Incidence of Colorectal, Lung, and Breast Cancers May Be Rising Due to COVID-19–Related Screening Delays
“Delays in cancer screenings during the COVID-19 pandemic may have resulted in lower reported incidences of colorectal, lung, and breast cancers, reflecting potentially high rates of undiagnosed cancer and later-stage diagnoses, according to a new study published by Romatoski et al in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The findings demonstrated that there may be a significant increase in cancer cases that could have been caught earlier with screenings, placing an increased burden on an already strained health-care system.”
FDA Gives Priority Review to Repotrectinib in Advanced ROS1+ NSCLC
“The FDA has granted priority review to a new drug application (NDA) for the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) repotrectinib (TPX-0005, BMS-986472) in the treatment of patients with ROS1-positive locally advanced or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a press release from Bristol Myers Squibb.”
Long-term Benefit of Amivantamab Continues in Postplatinum NSCLC
“Long-term data from the CHRYSALIS trial (NCT02609776) continued to demonstrate clinical benefit for amivantamabvmjw (Rybrevant), according to findings presented at the European Lung Cancer Congress 2023 in Copenhagen, Denmark.”
My Choices© News Update
Week Ending June 5, 2023
Scientists Discover a Deadly Brain Cancer’s Hidden Weakness
“Common and cheap epilepsy drug stops tumor growth in mice. The difficult-to-treat brain cancer glioblastoma steals a person’s mental faculties as it spreads, yet the tumor’s insidious ability to infiltrate neighboring networks in the brain could also prove its undoing.”
Can multivitamins improve memory? A new study shows ‘intriguing’ results
“Americans spend billions of dollars on supplements each year, and roughly 1 in 3 adults report taking a multivitamin. But there is a debate about whether this helps promote good health. A team of researchers wanted to assess how a daily multivitamin may influence cognitive aging and memory. They tracked about 3,500 older adults who were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial. One group of participants took a placebo, and another group took a Silver Centrum multivitamin, for three years. The participants also took tests, administered online, to evaluate memory.”
Junk Food vs Sleep: New Study Reveals Impact of Diet on Sleep Quality
“Summary: Researchers uncovered how an unhealthy diet affects deep sleep quality. The study revealed that consuming a diet high in sugars and saturated fats leads to deterioration in the quality of deep sleep.”
Long COVID Can Make It Tougher to Exercise, and Research Is Revealing Why
“WEDNESDAY, May 31, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Lack of energy for exercise is a common problem for folks with so-called long COVID.”
There’s a Best Time of Day to Exercise for Folks With Type 2 Diabetes
“TUESDAY, May 30, 2023 (HealthDay News) — If you’re one of the millions of folks living with type 2 diabetes, you know that regular exercise can help you keep your blood sugar in check. Now, new research suggests that working out in the afternoon may help maximize these benefits.”
Is Mind-Body a False Distinction?
“It is tempting to think of the mind and body as separate entities, especially if you equate the mind with the brain. But the issue of the relatedness of the brain and mind with the body has become more apparent as numerous professionals try to come to grips with the potential dangers of artificial intelligence.”
Alternative Medicine Use in Pediatric Epilepsy Is Common, but Potentially Risky
“Alternative medicine is commonly used by the families of children with epilepsy, but patients often do not mention it to their physicians, and there is a dearth of scientific evidence supporting many of the most common alternative therapies, according to a new review.”
Ozempic and Wegovy force weight-loss companies to upend their longstanding strategies
“The rise of the popular obesity and diabetes drugs Wegovy and Ozempic have compelled weight-loss companies to fundamentally shift their business models. WeightWatchers and Noom have for years promoted diet and exercise as the primary ways to lose weight, but both recently debuted plans to offer prescriptions for Wegovy and similar drugs as part of a strategy that recognizes obesity as a chronic disease.”
Help Open People’s Eyes.
Would you be so kind as to share a snippet about your lung cancer experience with us?
There is no right way to share – talk, write, draw, speak poetry – just please SHARE. Email us: MyStory@CaringAmbassadors.org