The Society’s 2012 ANNUAL APPEAL
Lung Cancer: Harnessing Research for Personalized Care and Cure
The facts about lung cancer are alarming. More than 220,000 men and women in the United States will be diagnosed with lung cancers this year. 86 percent of people who develop lung cancers either stopped smoking decades earlier or never smoked. Stopping smoking lowers a person’s risk of lung cancer, but cannot undo the damage already done.
However, there is hope for people diagnosed with lung cancer. Tens of thousands of Americans are cured of lung cancers each year. Many more can be cured if their cancers can be detected early. The MSKCC Thoracic Team has learned through experience and research that there is no single disease called lung cancer. The illness in each person has a distinct biological basis that requires a specific and personalized approach. Please support the 2012 Annual Appeal and build on MSKCC’s long tradition of excellence in cancer care. Click on the button above to make an online donation. Harnessing Research for Personalized Care and CureMemorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s Thoracic Oncology Disease Management Team led by Mark G. Kris, MD, and Valerie W. Rusch, MD, FACS, is at the forefront of cancer detection and treatment. MSKCC’s multidisciplinary team of experts offer personalized early detection and treatment of lung cancers, including:
- Expert CT Interpretation and Follow-Up: MSKCC has state-of-the-art CT screening facilities. Our radiologists read more than 50,000 scans each year and have unsurpassed expertise in interpreting the results.
- An Individual Approach to Surgery: The breadth and depth of MSKCC’s surgeons’ experience allow them to tailor procedures to individual patients. In many cases, early detection through screening enables them to use the most advanced surgical approaches, including video-assisted thoracic surgery, a minimally invasive technique that leads to swifter recoveries, and less disruption of patients’ lives.
- Targeted Drugs: Dr. Marc Ladanyi, in MSKCC’s Department of Pathology, has created a unique program in which all lung tumors are tested for specific genetic mutations. The results of these tests guide MSKCC oncologists in selecting the targeted therapy most likely to benefit an individual patient. We are one of only a handful of centers to apply this new approach.
- Creation of a Screening Model: MSKCC’s Health Outcomes Research Group, headed by Dr. Peter Bach, monitors the clinical benefits of the screening program to provide the evidence needed to demonstrate that MSKCC’s program is efficient and practical, and can serve as a model for other hospitals around the world.
We have made tremendous progress in lung cancer treatment and research but we need to do more. Your contribution will drive further advances by supporting the expansion of MSKCC's innovative lung cancer screening program into the community. The 2011 Annual Appeal READ MORE >>History of The Annual Appeal READ MORE >> Recent Annual Appeal Topics READ MORE >>Acknowledging Our Supporters READ MORE >> If you would like additional information or to make a donation by phone, please contact The Society Office at 212-639-7972.
