A Public Awareness Announcement

I was absolutely floored when the news of Dana Reeve's death hit the news. It was about 7 months ago that she announced to the public that she had lung cancer and only 17 mos after the death of her husband! She joins a handful of other famous people who have recently died of lung cancer. What is even more shocking is that she claims to never had smoked a cigarette. Makes you think...

As I'm studying for my board exam, I though I'd share this little factoid with you (besides, it allows me to blog and review some material):

1) In the U.S., the top cancer among males is prostate cancer.
2) In the U.S., the top cancer among females is breast cancer.
3) In the U.S., the top cancer DEATHS in males and females is LUNG CANCER.

There are a couple things to extract from these 3 statements:
* Although prostate and breast cancer are the most identified types of cancer, most men and women DO NOT die of these diseases.
* Clinicians do a decent job in the U.S. screening for prostate and breast cancer. There is a good amount of public awareness about prostate and (mostly) breast cancer. To name a few: Race-for-the-Cure, the Yoplait pink lids, and those "Live Strong" pink bracelets.
* However, given that BOTH men and women actually die from lung cancer, there is a desperate need to not only screen for lung cancer, but to actually educate the public about preventing lung cancer (i.e. SMOKING). I've found that thetruth.com ads in the media is a pretty good start in reaching the public about the link between the tobacco industry and lung cancer.

* NOTE: Other celebrities that are battling or have died from lung cancer: Don Knotts, Bob Denver (bronchial CA), Peter Jennings, and Tammy Faye-Baker.