The Facts
Lung cancer remains the leading cancer killer in men and women in the Uniting States among every ethnic group, yet still receives the fewest research dollars. Lung cancer causes 1 in every 3 cancer deaths and took 160,000 lives in 2009.
Over 60% of new lung cancer cases are never smokers or former smokers, many of whom quit decades ago. One in five women and one in twelve men diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked. Learn more shocking facts about lung cancer here.
A Hopeful Future: Uniting Against Lung Cancer
Partnering with other organizations dedicated to conquering lung cancer, we are making a difference. All proceeds from Caine Halter Lungs4Life will again benefit Uniting Against Lung Cancer, an established 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to finding a cure for lung cancer by funding innovative research into improved diagnosis and treatment.
During 2009, Uniting Against Lung Cancer directly funded eleven $100,000 grants in collaboration with research-focused lung cancer groups, like Caine Halter Lungs4Life. All 11 grants support research projects – focused on earlier lung cancer diagnosis and treatment – at nationally-recognized institutions.
After a March 2010 merger with the Thomas G. Labrecque Foundation, a non profit dedicated to funding lung cancer research focusing on early detection, Uniting Against Lung Cancer is now the largest private, non-profit funder of lung cancer research in the US and Canada.
Your Donations at Work
Dollars raised through Lungs4LIfe were already funding critical lung cancer research projects only a few short weeks after last year's event. These talented researchers and their dedicated teams are making exciting progress with lung cancer and providing great hope – thanks to your support of Lungs4Life.
2009 Resarch Grants
Ignacio Wistuba, M.D.
University of Texas - M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Comparison of molecular pathogenesis and field cancerization phenomenon in lung adenocarcinoma from never smokers versus smokers In never smokers, lung adenocarcinomas have unique characteristics that differentiate these tumors from those found in smokers. Dr. Wistuba is examining the molecular and pathological differences, which will help distinguish between patients with multiple independent tumors and those with metastasized tumors. This will further our understanding of early detection and prevention strategies in never versus ever smokers. Learn more about Dr. Wistuba's work here.
MAKING AN IMPACT NOW: Dr. Wistuba and his team have made substantial progress only halfway through their first year of funding. They have completed their first goal with encouraging data showing clear molecular changes that happen earlier or later in the growth of tumors. Dr. Wistuba has used momentum from this grant to receive a Collaborative Translational Research Award from the US Department of Defense totaling $1.2 million to continue his studies of molecular profiling of lung cancer.
2009 Caine Halter Hope Now Award*
Marc Ladanyi, M.D.
Chief of Molecular Diagnostics Service
and Director of Diagnostic Molecular Pathology Laboratory
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
As a leader in the molecular diagnostic field, Dr. Ladanyi has been directly involved with analyzing tumors from more than 2,800 lung cancer patients for EGFR mutations since 2004, allowing for optimal treatment selection. He is also leading efforts to drive broader large scale screening of lung cancer tumor specimens for additional mutations that can be targets for new drugs. His lead is now being followed by groups worldwide. Learn more about Dr. Ladanyi's work here.
*The Caine Halter Hope Now award was established in 2007 by Uniting to recognize the research lab and its leader showing the most progress in lung cancer research in a particular year. As survivors develop resistance to available treatments, doctors are working valiantly to overcome these challenges and take lung cancer research to the next level.
2008 Research Grants
Faye Johnson, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Texas - MD Anderson Cancer Center
The Receptor Tyrosine Kinase EphA2:
A Novel Therapeutic Target for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
The EphA2 protein has been shown to play a critical role in tumor growth and migration, as well as in angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels to feed a growing tumor. Learn more about this critical work with targeted therapies for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) here.
http://www.unitingagainstlungcancer.org/research/grant-recipients/08/johnson
2008 Caine Halter Hope Now Award
Dr. Eric Haura, M.D.
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, Florida
Dr. Haura is studying how mutated proteins in lung cells cause cancer. He is developing new drugs that will kill cancer cells by specifically blocking the function of these abnormal proteins. Learn more about Dr. Haura's work here. http://www.unitingagainstlungcancer.org/research/programs/hope-now/2008
In the News
April 12, 2010
Thomas G. Labrecque Foundation and Uniting Against Lung Cancer Join Forces
December 8, 2009
Uniting Against Lung Cancer Awards New Research Grants
November 16, 2009
Uniting Against Lung Cancer announces the "Caine Halter Hope Now Award for Lung Cancer Research"
Jan 21, 2009
Uniting Against Lung Cancer Awards 14 New Research Grants