Living Stronger With Lung Cancer

LUNG CANCER IS NO longer a hopeless disease. In 2018 alone, there were eight Food and Drug Administration approvals for either new drugs or new indications to help treat non-small cell and small cell lung cancer.

And patients are reaping the benefits. Some have turned their pain into purpose, such as Bonnie J. Addario, a 14-year survivor of stage 3b/4 non-small cell adenocarcinoma. Reacting to her own diagnosis and the death of actress and singer Dana Reeve to lung cancer, she founded the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation in 2006. In her words: “Enough was enough!” Since then, the foundation has raised millions of dollars for research and programs to support patients and their families.

But Addario faces challenging moments, too. She developed necrosis and suffered pulmonary embolisms, and she lives with chronic hoarseness, the result of changes to her esophagus from treatment. However, she has learned to work around these hurdles and helps countless others who turn to her foundation with similar concerns.

She’s proof that patients are improving their quality of life so they can truly live. Read more about Addario and others like her in this special issue’s feature story on the lasting effects of lung cancer. One of our recent “CURE Talks Cancer” podcasts showcases the foundation’s Lung Cancer Registry.

Also in this issue of CURE®, we feature an article that describes how immunotherapy and stereotactic radiation fight stage 3 nonsmall cell lung cancer. Three patients share their experiences with the techniques. One even opened her own CrossFit studio two years after receiving her diagnosis and is what some call a “walking miracle.”

And what good are therapies, new and old, if patients don’t adhere to the treatment course laid out by their health care team? Adherence is crucial, yet obstacles such as transportation and finances leave some patients scrambling to get to appointments or afford a medication. An expert examines these barriers and more, providing tips on how to overcome them.

This issue also covers caregiver burden, scanxiety management and increasingly personalized lung cancer treatment. As always, thank you for reading.

MIKE HENNESSY, SR.Chairman and CEO