Lung cancer

IRESSA (Gefitinib) receives marketing authorization for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer in Europe

01 July 2009 -- AstraZeneca announced today that the European Commission has granted marketing authorisation for the oral anti-cancer drug, IRESSA for the treatment of adults with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with activating mutations of EGFR-TK (epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase) across all lines of therapy. The authorisation is based on a submission package including two pivotal Phase III studies comparing IRESSA with chemotherapy, IPASS and INTEREST.    » read more »

June 22, 2009 -- WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today joined President Barack Obama at a White House signing ceremony of legislation empowering the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate tobacco products. Bingaman is a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which helped write the bill.

Among other things, the bipartisan legislation would give the FDA authority to make tobacco products less toxic for those who continue to use them and prevent the tobacco industry from misleading the public about the dangers of smoking. The measure also would help smokers overcome their addiction.    » read more »

American Lung Association Calls Upon President Obama to Protect Entire Federal Workforce

6/19/2009 -- Statement of Charles D. Connor, American Lung Association President and CEO:

Starting today, a federal smokefree workplace policy takes affect that will protect thousands of workers from the dangers posed by secondhand smoke. The American Lung Association applauds the Government Services Administration (GSA) for issuing this strong policy to ensure a safe and healthy work environment and urges them to ensure smokers have access to get the help they need to quit.    » read more »

Washington, D.C. (May 28, 2009)—The American Lung Association joins the World Health Organization (WHO) in calling attention to the global epidemic of death and disease caused by tobacco use on World No Tobacco Day taking place on Sunday, May 31, 2009.

This year, World No Tobacco Day will focus on the urgent need for graphic health warnings to be placed on all tobacco products in order to reduce the deadly impact tobacco use has on the global community. According to the WHO, tobacco use kills 5.4 million people every year and accounts for one in 10 adult deaths worldwide. In the United States, the tobacco caused death toll ends more than 393,000 lives each year. Another 50,000 American deaths are annually attributed to secondhand smoke exposure.    » read more »

10TH Annual State of the Air Report Publishes Local Air Quality Grades Online

4/29/2009 -- Washington, D.C. -- The 10th annual American Lung Association State of the Air report released today finds that six out of ten Americans--186.1 million people -- live in areas where air pollution levels endanger lives.    » read more »

Washington, D.C. (March 19, 2009)—Today, South Dakota residents have reason to celebrate. South Dakota is now officially the 24th state in the nation, and the first in 2009, to pass a comprehensive smokefree workplace law protecting virtually everyone from secondhand smoke in public places and workplaces.

The American Lung Association applauds Governor Rounds and South Dakota lawmakers for passing this important legislation that will save hundreds of lives in the next decade alone.

Secondhand smoke kills close to 50,000 Americans annually, according to the U.S. Surgeon, and is the cause of a host of diseases and ailments, including lung cancer, heart disease, SIDS and childhood ear infections.    » read more »

Ban will protect workers and patrons and will be strongest in traditional tobacco states

March 09, 2009 --    » read more »

March 4, 2009 -- Statement of Charles D. Connor, American Lung Association President and CEO:

Today in Washington, the Congress has moved one big step closer to ending the grip Big Tobacco has on our nation’s health. The U.S. House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce Committee sent the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (HR 1256) to the full House for its consideration. Passage of this important bill will provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urgently needed regulatory control over the tobacco industry.    » read more »

Statement of American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Washington, D.C. (March 2, 2009)— Our public health organizations strongly support the bipartisan legislation introduced today to provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with effective authority to regulate tobacco products. There are few steps Congress can take that will make a bigger difference for America’s health than to finally regulate tobacco products, the number one cause of preventable death and disease in the United States.    » read more »

Edgy youth tobacco prevention campaign will be hard for teens to ignore

PHOENIX (Feb. 16, 2009) – Arizona seeks to set precedence with its new tobacco prevention and education campaign — “Brought to you by addiction.” — a mass media and grassroots campaign that harnesses the realities of tobacco addiction for an audience age 12 to 17. Its launch, today, marks a new frontier in teen focused anti-smoking campaigns in Arizona that until now focused on the health impacts of smoking.    » read more »

President Obama Signs Children’s Health Insurance and Federal Tobacco Tax Increase Into Law

2/4/09 -- Statement of Charles D. Connor, American Lung Association President and CEO:

Earlier this year, the American Lung Association expressed hope that the Obama Administration would prioritize tobacco control and public health. Today, we finally are celebrating a long fought public health victory—a victory that will improve health, increase children’s health care coverage and reduce smoking.    » read more »

May 26, 2008 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic researchers have found that carrying a common genetic disorder doubles the risk of developing lung cancer in smokers and nonsmokers.

The study is published in the May 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal published by the American Medical Association.

Cigarette butts: Photo by Matt Fetterley    » read more »

03 April 2008 -- Three independent teams of researchers have found genes that may explain why some smokers get cancer and others do not, and why some people who never smoke also get the disease. Investigators say the discoveries could lead to better ways to prevent and treat one of the most lethal forms of cancer.

Cigarette smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer: Photo by Raul Lieberwirth (CC)

The teams in the United States, France and Iceland scoured the DNA of thousands of white smokers and non-smokers of European descent,with and without lung cancer, looking for genes that have been linked to smoking.    » read more »

Urges people to test homes for radon, which is second-leading cause of lung cancer in U.S.

January 3, 2008 -- SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today proclaimed January as Radon Action Month in Illinois and urged people throughout the state to test their homes to see if they have elevated levels of the radioactive gas known to cause lung cancer. Radon is recognized as the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the nation, behind smoking, but is the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers.    » read more »

November 5, 2007 -- In Sunday night's episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," a Cheyenne, Wyoming, home was demolished due to a radon problem that supposedly couldn't be fixed. While homes in Michigan should be tested for radon to determine if there is a problem, elevated radon levels do not require homeowners to go to such "extreme" measures to keep their families safe.    » read more »