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In This Issue:
From left, Betsy Nabel, Therese Murray and Paula Johnson. (On cover: Yolonda Colson)
One in four women diagnosed with lung cancer is a non-smoker, and nearly all admit to being shocked upon learning they had the disease. One of the most common misconceptions about lung cancer is that only smokers are affected. The number of women who die each year from the disease is even more surprising, outnumbering deaths from breast, ovarian and prostate cancers combined.
“This is a terrifying disease because the number of women who die from lung cancer each year is staggering,” said Yolonda Colson, MD, PhD, director of the Women’s Lung Cancer Program, who co-authored a groundbreaking report on the impact of lung cancer on women called “Out of the Shadows: Women and Lung Cancer.” This report, issued through the Division of Women’s Health, was commended by U.S. Congresswoman Donna M. Christensen.
Lung cancer, the “hidden women’s cancer,” is the leading cause of cancer death in women, and was the topic of the fifth annual Women’s Health Luncheon hosted by BWH and the Women’s Health Leadership Council and co-chaired by Susanne Joyce and Diane Bissonnette Moes.
Colson, the keynote speaker at the luncheon, said that the impact lung cancer has on women receives much less public attention, funding and research than other cancers.
“The underfunding of lung cancer research is associated with the common misconceptions about lung cancer and who it affects and the stigmas associated with the disease,” said Colson.
One such stigma is that a lung cancer diagnosis is tantamount to a death sentence.
“There are treatment options for lung cancer, and we want to make an early diagnosis and be aggressive about treating it because there are patients who survive this disease.” said Colson, who shared details about research at BWH examining the potential of using urine biomarkers as an early detection method and a clinical trial looking at a way to identify tumor spread in its early stages.
Hosted by Paula Johnson, MD, MPH, chief of the Division of Women’s Health, the luncheon boasted leaders and advocates of women’s health as guest speakers and throughout the audience.
“Through events like this, we can all play an important role in furthering the goals of the Connors Center for Women’s Health and promoting the greater cause of women’s health in our society,” said BWH President Betsy Nabel, MD.
Massachusetts Senate President Therese Murray, who served as honorary chair, echoed the importance of discussing issues of women’s health. “Whatever obstacles we face as women, I truly believe that education and awareness of our most prevalent diseases are really the keys to the cure,” she said.
Building on the exciting potential of the novel research being conducted, Johnson concluded that, “What we’ve talked about here today has implications for important new discoveries about sex differences in lung cancer and beyond, and the opportunity to improve health outcomes for all.”