UK’s Free to Breathe Walk Raises Awareness, Funding for Lung Cancer

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 11, 2011) – Lung cancer awareness isn’t as ubiquitous as breast cancer awareness, but the University of Kentucky and the National Lung Cancer Partnership hope to help change that.   

On Sunday, UK will host the state’s first-ever Free to Breathe lung cancer awareness walk, a national event that raises awareness and research funding to defeat lung cancer. Proceeds from Free to Breathe events benefit the National Lung Cancer Partnership’s research, education and awareness programs.

Dr. Timothy Mullett, a cardiothoracic surgeon at UK who specializes in the surgical treatment of lung and esophageal cancers, will be attending the event on Sunday as a featured speaker before the walk.

Mullett came to UK in 1996 as a surgeon who focused more on heart issues. However, after arriving, he quickly saw a void that needed to be filled.

“I originally came here to do cardiac surgery and care,” Mullett said. “But when I got here, I saw a lack of focus on what was a huge problem – lung cancer.”

Kentucky leads the nation in both new incidences of lung cancer and deaths from the disease. Though tobacco use is the biggest risk factor for developing lung cancer, anyone can develop the disease regardless of his or her smoking status. Lung cancer kills nearly twice as many women as breast cancer, and it is the leading cause of cancer deaths for both men and women in the U.S.

Despite the dire statistics for this disease, it receives proportionately less government funding per death than other types of cancer. For example, the National Cancer Institute provides approximately $24,000 of government funding per every breast cancer death, while providing roughly $1,200 for every lung cancer death.

In the years following his arrival, Mullett became an integral part of UK’s efforts to battle lung cancer. In 1998, UK formed the Multidisciplinary Lung Cancer Program, naming Mullett as its director. The MLCP provides a cohesive team approach to lung cancer care, with multiple specialists studying a patient’s case from different perspectives.

In 2000, the Kentucky General Assembly established the Lung Cancer Research Fund to benefit the Kentucky Lung Cancer Research Program. This 20-year initiative provides a collaborative focus for the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville directed toward national recognition as leaders in lung cancer research.

The Kentucky Clinical Trials Network (KCTN) is one of the primary initiatives included in the Kentucky Lung Cancer Research Program. The KCTN is a statewide alliance of physicians conducting clinical trials in the prevention, early detection, and treatment of lung cancer.

Though the current programs are a good start, Mullett stresses that there is much work to do in the field of lung cancer.

“These trials are the tip of the iceberg for what we should be doing,” Mullett said. “But the barrier is funding. Clinical trials are expensive.”

There are a few reasons why lung cancer research is underfunded, Mullett says. A diagnosis often comes with a stigma – because the majority of lung cancer cases are caused by tobacco use, people don’t view it as a “blameless” disease, the way they would view another type of cancer. In addition, the typical lung cancer patient is diagnosed an an advanced age, and many patients may “give up” after hearing a grim diagnosis.

Over the years, physicians have seen a “stage shift” in breast, colon and prostate cancers. Because reliable screening methods have been researched and developed, more people are now being diagnosed with earlier, and thus more treatable, stages of these cancers.

Lung cancer hasn’t had a reliable screening method, and patients often don’t realize anything is wrong until the cancer has metastasized and caused problems in another area of the body. By then, the cancer is at an advanced stage and is difficult to treat.

“Everyone knows that the pink ribbon represents breast cancer,” Mullett said. “But do you know what color the lung cancer ribbon is? It’s clear – because this cancer is an invisible disease.”

But earlier this year, the New England Journal of Medicine released research from the National Lung Cancer Trial showing that CT scans, which are more sensitive than standard X-rays, are better at detecting lung cancer in its early stages. As part of their partnership, the UK Markey Cancer Center and Louisville’s Norton Cancer Institute are currently working toward developing a program to provide CT scans as a means of early lung cancer screenings.

Because of this study, the CT scan screening method could one day cause a similar stage shift for lung cancer patients, Mullett says.

Additionally, UK's Dr. Susanne Arnold and the lung cancer research team were recently awarded a $1.43 million grant by the Department of Defense to study potential environmental reasons for the high lung cancer rates in Eastern Kentucky. The goal of the study is to determine whether trace minerals in residents' water sources, soil, and local food sources could be causing the higher-than-average lung cancer rates in the 5th Congressional District. The data collected could be crucial to helping reduce lung cancer rates in the area.

To continue to make breakthroughs in better prevention, detection, and treatment of lung cancer, increasing research dollars for studies like these is key. Mullett hopes that Sunday’s Free to Breathe walk can be a catalyst for raising awareness for a disease that affects so many Kentuckians. In addition, he encourages all Kentuckians to write to Congress to support the bill for the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act, a comprehensive program aimed at achieving a 50 percent reduction in the mortality rate of lung cancer by 2020.

“This is a passion for me,” Mullett said of his work. “And it is so important for UK to carry this flag, both for awareness of the disease and helping people understand it. I would like to see us improve our ability to amplify research funding for lung cancer.”

The National Lung Cancer Partnership is a group of leading doctors, researchers, patient advocates and lung cancer survivors who are working to decrease deaths due to lung cancer and help patients live longer and better through research, awareness and advocacy. Their 'Free to Breathe' event series began with a single 5K run and walk in Philadelphia in 2006. Since then, the event series has raised more than $5.5 million with 100 percent of the net proceeds dedicated to making a difference for everyone affected by lung cancer and to directly funding programs of change.

In addition to Mullet, other speakers at UK’s Free to Breathe walk will include Ellen Hahn, director of the Kentucky Center for Smoke-Free Policy; Lisa Maggio, doctoral nursing student and co-chair of the UK Free to Breathe walk; and Art Hellebusch, a stave IV lung cancer survivor from Lexington. The event will also host several educational booths with information on learning your lung age, tobacco cessation, blood pressure screenings, nutrition counseling and radon testing.

The Free to Breathe walk will begin at the new pavilion of the UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital on Nov. 13. The event will officially begin at 9 a.m., with registration at 8 a.m. For more information on how to register, donate, sponsor or volunteer for this event, visit Lexington's Free to Breathe site, or contact the co-chairs at lisa.maggio@gmail.com or ginakinsella@yahoo.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: Allison Perry, (859) 323-2399 or allison.perry@uky.edu.