Asbestos, Environmental Toxins Responsible For Growing Number Of Lung Cancer Cases
DALLAS (November 1, 2011) – Baron and Budd is working to raise awareness about lung cancer, a disease that is all too misunderstood and underfunded, during Lung Cancer Awareness Month. As a law firm that helps lung cancer and mesothelioma patients, Baron and Budd understands the importance of increased awareness about these cancers and, more specifically, the need for education. Though lung cancer has been labeled as the “smoking cancer,” research points to a growing number of lung cancer diagnoses in nonsmokers from exposure to environmental toxins such as asbestos.
Baron and Budd is encouraging individuals to participate in the Shine a Light on Lung Cancer Vigil, hosted by the Lung Cancer Alliance. Vigils will take place across the country Nov. 1 to honor loved ones who have suffered from lung cancer and help raise awareness.
In the United States alone, nearly 200 women die of lung cancer every day. But despite the long-standing beliefs that lung cancer is only caused by smoking, more than 70 percent of new lung cancer diagnoses occur in nonsmokers. According to a new study, people who have never smoked, but live in areas with elevated air pollution levels, are approximately 20 percent more likely to die from lung cancer than people who live in areas with cleaner air. Asbestos is one of the air pollutants often associated with lung cancer.
Despite the well-documented health risks of asbestos, the material is not banned in the U.S. and, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, hundreds of metric tons of asbestos are still imported into the U.S. today.
“Lung cancer has developed a stigma as the “smoking cancer,” as if people diagnosed with the cancer knowingly chose to put themselves at risk,” said Russell Budd, president and managing shareholder at Baron and Budd. “But approximately one in 10 people who are diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked, and that number of nonsmoker cases is growing.”
Baron and Budd is dedicated to battling cancers that are related to environmental exposure. The firm has donated to the Lung Cancer Alliance and has sponsored the print and digital distribution of CURE media group’s Understanding Mesothelioma. Russell Budd, the firm’s president and managing shareholder, also serves on the Foundation Board of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), the philanthropic arm of NCCN, and the firm has sponsored the NCCN Patient Guidelines for Mesothelioma.
About Baron & Budd, P.C.
The national mesothelioma law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C. has a more than 30-year history of “Protecting What’s Right” for asbestos sufferers and their families. As one of the first law firms to successfully litigate an asbestos lawsuit, Baron & Budd continues to actively represent veterans, industry workers and others who are suffering as a result of exposure to asbestos. Baron & Budd achieved the largest mesothelioma verdict ever in the state of Texas, a $55 million verdict for an asbestos sufferer and his family in El Paso, Texas. Contact Baron and Budd at 1.866.855.1229 for additional information on medical treatments, mesothelioma cancer doctors and treatment centers, high risk jobs, mesothelioma attorneys and financial assistance for asbestos cancer care.
The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) announced yesterday that Charles L. Sawyers, M.D., chair of MSKCC’s Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, has been selected as the president-elect for 2012-2013 of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). Sawyers is renowned for his clinical and translational research, and he is currently investigating the signaling pathways that drive the growth of cancer cells to design new treatment options for patients. MSKCC is one of the premier hospitals in the United States for treating mesothelioma patients.
Located in New York, MSKCC is the world’s oldest and largest private cancer center, and has a team of specialists including surgical oncologists, pathologists, and nurses who deal exclusively with mesothelioma and other thoracic cancers. The Center is known for innovative approaches to treatment and recently introduced a program that focuses on helping men and women with a terminal diagnosis of mesothelioma focus on the spiritual, emotional, and psychological aspects of cancer.
Mesothelioma is a signature cancer of asbestos and is diagnosed in close to 3,000 Americans each year. Patients with the rare disease are often referred to medical professionals that specialize in the treatment of mesothelioma.
Sawyers’ research has been instrumental in the development of two cancer treatment drugs – imatinib and dasatinib. Both drugs are used in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia. Dasatinib is currently undergoing a clinical trial at MD Anderson Cancer Center to learn how the drug affects biomarker levels in patients with resectable malignant pleural mesothelioma.
“We are in the midst of a transformative decade in cancer research, with many new therapies emerging from our work that are improving the lives of cancer patients around the world,” said Sawyer. He added that he will work closely with the AACR staff to ensure the government does not cut investments in cancer research at this critical time of development.
Sawyer has been a member of the AACR since 1998 and was a past member of the AACR Board of Directors. He is scientific editor of Cancer Discovery and associate editor of Clinical Cancer Research, journals of the AACR. Sawyers is past president of the American Society of Clinical Investigation; served on the National Cancer Institute’s Board of Scientific Councilors; and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine. In addition, he has an impressive list of awards and accolades, including the Dorothy Landon-AACR Prize for Translational Cancer Research, the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s David A. Karnofsky Award, and the Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award.
“His [Sawyers] scientific achievements and research into the molecular forces that drive cancer growth and resistance to therapy have had a direct influence on the current treatment landscape, as well as on the patient experience,” said Memorial Sloan-Kettering President and CEO Craig Thompson on the announcement. “I’m certain he will be just as influential to the AACR.”
“Dr. Sawyers’ research has revolutionized the cancer therapeutics landscape,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “We are thrilled that an esteemed expert in clinical and translational research has been elected to serve as the next AACR president-elect.”
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the oldest and largest scientific organization in the world focused on innovative cancer research. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries.