The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation

We started the One in a Million campaign last year and it is building momentum. But, we need all of you to join. Around the world, every age group is reaching out to the million people we need to raise $20 million. In Los Angeles, Lung Cancer researchers are waging war on this killer cancer with their pens, (and their prestige and influence.)

Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI) Scientific Advisory Board Member, Ite Laird-Offringa, PhD, associate professor of surgery, biochemistry and molecular biology at UCLA’s Keck School of Medicine has taken pen to paper to reach out with a universal plea to support our foundation’s efforts to eradicate Lung Cancer.

Specifically, Dr. Laird-Offringa lauds our “One in a Million” campaign and calls on her colleagues, friends, neighbors and network of influences to join her in giving voice to the demand for Lung Cancer research by being one of a million people who pledge $20. She says, “Imagine one million people who will stand together to push Lung Cancer research forward! They will be a very powerful force. Now imagine the impact that $20 million could have on the lives of those affected by Lung Cancer. It will help Lung Cancer researchers develop early detection methods, and thereby help many more Lung Cancer patients survive.”

BJALCF will send you your own kit. Spend 2009 by helping us reach out to a million people and raise $20 million dollars.

Following is Ite’s letter. We thank her for joining in our campaign and hope you will too.

Dear Friend,

I am writing to tell you about the Bonnie J. Addario Foundation, a foundation that is working hard to combat Lung Cancer. Over 160,000 Americans die of Lung Cancer every year. That is more people than would die if a full 747 aircraft were to crash every single day of the year. After heart disease, lung cancer is the major killer of men and women in the United States, taking more lives than any other cancer. That’s right – Lung Cancer mortality in the U.S. is higher than that of breast cancer, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer combined. While prostate cancer and breast cancer are more common, fewer people die of these diseases. That is because research on prostate and breast cancers has led to early detection, better treatments, and higher survival rates. Tragically, such progress is lacking in Lung Cancer because Lung Cancer research remains chronically underfunded. As a scientific investigator, I receive grant application requests for breast cancer and prostate cancer very regularly. But grant requests in support of Lung Cancer research are rare. We cannot, in good conscience, condone the continued underfunding of a cancer which, in 2007, was responsible for one third of all cancer deaths.

Some might think: “Lung Cancer gets less attention because it is caused by smoking; people who get this disease did it to themselves.” Smokers are not to blame for Lung Cancer. Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances known to humans, and cigarettes are made as “nicotine delivery” vehicles. In addition, did you know that over half of all newly diagnosed Lung Cancers arise in former and never smokers? Did you know that adenocarcinoma, the form of Lung Cancer most often found in women and non-smokers is on the rise, and has now become the most common form of Lung Cancer? We must take action to prevent and treat a cancer that has one of the poorest 5-year survival rates: only 15 out of 100 lung cancer patients survive for 5 years. In contrast, 89 out of 100 breast cancer patients and 100 out of 100 prostate cancer patients will live for 5 years or more. The much better odds of breast and prostate cancer patients have to do with the early detection strategies developed through intensive research. The most efficient way to save the lives of all cancer patients, including Lung Cancer patients, is to diagnose cancer early. Small cancers that have not yet spread can be effectively removed by surgery.

In recent years, development of better lung imaging tools such as the Spiral CT scan has brought us closer to early detection of Lung Cancer. Spiral CT scans provide very detailed images of the lungs. However, although these scans are sensitive in detecting lesions (“spots”) on the lungs, they do not provide accurate information about whether the lesions are cancer. In fact, most of the lung lesions detected by Spiral CT scanning, even in the case of longtime smokers, are not cancer. And in many cases, the risk of surgically removing such non-cancerous lesions from the lungs might outweigh the potential benefit. We must find ways to increase the accuracy of imaging, either by adding Lung Cancer specific “dyes” to imaging or by complementing imaging with molecular markers detectable in blood or other bodily fluids. Such research is ongoing but desperately needs funding to keep moving forward quickly… in time to save the lives of our friends and loved ones.

As someone dedicated to combating Lung Cancer through the research in my lab, I have always greatly appreciated and supported the efforts of others who share this cause. I am inspired by Bonnie Addario, a Lung Cancer survivor who started the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation. The Addario Foundation has been very active in raising Lung Cancer awareness and educating the public. They have now launched an unprecedented campaign to fund Lung Cancer research through a grass roots approach. The “One in a Million” campaign aims to get one million people to donate just $20 each to the fight against Lung Cancer. It will achieve three things simultaneously: increase awareness, give voice to our demand for Lung Cancer research, and raise $20 Million! I believe in this grassroots campaign. Each of us can do so much…not only by donating $20, but by spreading the word about this campaign to our friends and neighbors. Imagine one million people who will stand together to push Lung Cancer research forward! They will be a very powerful force. Now imagine the impact that $20 million could have on the lives of those affected by Lung Cancer! It will help Lung Cancer researchers develop early detection methods, and thereby help many more Lung Cancer patients survive.

Please join me in supporting the “One in a Million” campaign. If you would like donation envelopes for friends or family members, you can visit the Addario Foundation web site.

I am One in a Million, will you be One in a Million too?

Thank you in advance for supporting our fight against Lung Cancer. We CAN make a difference, and we WILL.

With love and hope,

Ite Laird-Offringa, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Surgery and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

To spread the word and further combat Lung Cancer, please encourage your friends and family to join us in this effort.
We’ve made this easy!