2009 Report Card, an overall assessment of efforts to reduce lung cancer's mortality released

Notes Some Improvements, But Passing Grades Still Lacking

Today, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) released its annual National Report Card on Lung Cancer, an overall assessment of efforts to reduce lung cancer's mortality.

2009 marks the 5th-year of the release of the National Report Card on Lung Cancer, issued each November during Lung Cancer Awareness Month. The Report Card is distributed to media outlets, health reporters, public health leaders, and Congress and other elected officials.

The 2009 Report Card notes slight improvements in the grades from last year's assessment.

"It is important to note progress - and I am happy to report that we have seen slight upticks in the grades this year, specifically in the area of Clinical Trials and Overall Federal Commitment to improving the federal response to lung cancer," said Laurie Fenton Ambrose, LCA President & CEO.

The grade for Clinical Trial moved from D to C reflecting LCA's expanded partnership with CancerCare and Uniting Against Lung Cancer, to provide greater outreach to patients and one central toll free number for access. In addition, the higher grade reflects encouraging trends toward increased diversification in the research pipeline such as more personalized clinical trials and vaccines to prevent lung cancer recurrence.

The grade for Overall Federal Commitment moved from C- to C+ reflecting the passage of landmark legislation giving the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) power to regulate tobacco products, reintroduction of the first-ever authorizing legislation, The Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act, in both the United States Senate and House of Representatives, which would establish a coordinated and comprehensive federal plan to address lung cancer and advocacy efforts to increase the research funding in the newly established pipeline within the Department of Defense.

"Yes, we are making important strides," continued Fenton Ambrose, "but this does not hide the fact that we still have poor grades across the board. LCA will continue to advance its mission of reversing decades of stigma and neglect by empowering patients, elevating awareness and changing health policy and doing so with a growing grassroots movement and an expanding coalition of public health interests," she concluded.

SOURCE Lung Cancer Alliance