LCA-GA issues 4th Annual Report Card on Lung Cancer

Today, Lung Cancer Alliance-Georgia (LCA-GA) issued the 4th Annual Report Card on Lung Cancer. This Report is an assessment of progress being made against this lethal disease in the state of Georgia. LCA-GA is a chapter of Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA), the only national organization dedicated exclusively to patient support and advocacy for people living with or at risk for lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths nationally, as well as among Georgian men and women, resulting in 30 percent of all cancer deaths in the state. This year alone, 6,150 Georgians will be diagnosed and 4,660 will die from the disease -- more than the combined total of breast, prostate, and colon cancers.

"Despite these alarming statistics, the Georgia legislature and Georgia Cancer Coalition are still ignoring lung cancer and its impact on citizens throughout the state," said Ed Levitt, LCA-GA Chair. "State funding for lung cancer prevention, early detection, better treatments and research must increase if we are going to see a reduction in mortality rates in Georgia."

The LCA-GA 2009 Report Card on Lung Cancer uses six categories to annually grade progress in key benchmarks areas, in order to alert Georgian public health and public policy leaders and state residents to what needs to be done to address lung cancer appropriately. No grade was above a "D" for the fourth straight year in Georgia.

"The problem is clear and it is time to make a change," concluded Levitt. "LCA-GA will ensure that Georgia and its outstanding hospitals and research centers play a major role in the effort to improve lung cancer outcomes."