But the bone marrow marker may not be as useful, experts said, as a hoped-for marker researchers are looking for in a simple blood test. The benefits of early screening are already one of the cornerstones of Lung Cancer Awareness Week, which began November 13 and was started by Cancer Care Inc., a nonprofit organization devoted to helping lung cancer patients and their families understand the disease. The group is quick to point out that lung cancer research gets short shrift compared the funding dollars spent on other diseases, like breast and prostate cancer. Still, experts point out the cure rate for cancer has a long way to go before it reaches the 70 percent cure rate associated with breast cancer. Dr. Jennifer Garst, an oncologist at the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, is among those measuring pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, appetite and other life aspects to understand how small changes can make a difference in how well lung cancer patients feel.
Researchers hope to change that by adding concentrated-like essences of some flavors.
And more girls than boys are smoking, which concerns experts, considering that lung cancer is increasingly a women's disease. Female deaths from lung cancer have risen 150 percent between 1974 and 1994, compared to just a 20 percent increase among men during the same period, according to Cancer Care. Doctors don't know for sure why smoking does such a number on females, but a recent study points to women's generally smaller lungs. Lung cancer also appears to strike blacks more than other populations. Don't get this disease.