LUNGevity's October Newsletter Join the LUNGevity Action NetworkAre you looking for a way to get involved during Lung Cancer Awareness Month and beyond? We are looking for people like you who want to have a positive impact on the lung cancer community. You can take real steps toward improving lives and outcomes for people with lung cancer. By joining the LUNGevity Action Network, you’ll quickly become an effective advocate with our simple and accessible tools. Through the Action Network, you can help raise public awareness by sharing your story, posting on social media, completing surveys, and more. You can also learn about important issues, sign petitions, comment on regulations, and write your legislators about what matters to you. We look forward to working with you to make real and meaningful changes for everyone in the lung cancer community. Learn more and sign up. Hear from renowned expert speakers on the latest in lung cancer treatment and careThis year’s virtual International Lung Cancer Survivorship Conference session recordings will be available for public viewing in celebration of Lung Cancer Awareness Month. You’ll want to watch the educational sessions to hear from expert speakers and learn and find hope in today’s scientific progress. Sessions include general 101 sessions led by prominent medical experts on chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation, surgery, small cell lung cancer, and precision medicine; sessions on avoiding caregiver burnout and balancing work and caregiving; and the popular “Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll,” delving into issues of daily living with lung cancer as a chronic disease. Be sure to save the date for next year’s virtual event: August 27-29, 2021. Preeminent lung cancer researchers and doctors gather for the annual Science MeetingLUNGevity hosted its annual Science Meeting virtually this year. The meeting, which was held online October 6-7, included members of our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and our researcher awardees. Attendees gathered to discuss research progress, scientific advancements, and the state of lung cancer. The meeting featured presentations by our Career Development Awardees (CDAs), including our newest class of CDAs, our ALK Positive Awardees, and our Translational Research Awardees on their research progress. LUNGevity is honored to host meetings such as these and to provide a platform to share openly to move science forward faster to patients. The Foundation is also proud to help keep lung cancer research going, particularly during the COVID-19 public health crisis. Learn more about our Scientific Advisory Board and the research we fund on our website. Interested in supporting this impactful research? Find out how you can make a difference. LUNGevity Early Detection Awardee Zeynep Gümüş, PhD, is studying genetic risk factors associated with developing lung cancer. As part of her LUNGevity award, Dr. Gümüş’ laboratory has conducted the largest case-control cohort study (a special type of study that compares people with a specific disease to those who don’t have the disease) to date, including 1,083 adenocarcinoma patients and 7,650 people without the disease (controls). Dr. Gümüş’s lab has analyzed DNA samples from both groups and found that rare genetic changes (known as rare deleterious variants or RDVs) in the ATM gene were significantly higher in adenocarcinoma patients than controls. The ATM gene normally functions to repair damage to a cell’s DNA and prevents cells from becoming cancerous. Mutations in the ATM gene can cause different types of cancer. The study results, published in the prestigious Journal of Thoracic Oncology, indicate that ATM is an adenocarcinoma risk gene, and that adenocarcinoma may be part of the ATM-related cancer syndrome spectrum. Individuals with ATM RDVs are at elevated risk of developing adenocarcinoma and may benefit from increased surveillance (particularly CT scanning). Read more about Dr. Gümüş’ findings in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. Learn more about LUNGevity’s research program on our website. LUNGevity’s Celebration of Hope ContinuesThank you to everyone who joined us for our National Celebration of Hope gala. It was an inspiring event, and we are thankful for all who made the special day possible, particularly the Celebration of Hope Chairs: Brent Barnhart, Nancy Cohen, Andre Owens, and Natalie Cohen Smith. The celebration continues! Whether you missed it or you just want to watch it again, you can screen our event on demand. Thank you for joining us!We are grateful to all who attended, participated in, and sponsored eRACE Lung Cancer and Breathe Deep TOGETHER. Thanks to your support, we were able to spread awareness and raise vital funds to help accelerate research and scientific discovery to patients, empower patients to be active participants in their healthcare, and help remove barriers to access to care. If you missed them, you can watch the programs for eRACE Lung Cancer and Breathe Deep TOGETHER on the LUNGevity Facebook page. |