Dr. Singhi Reflects on the Importance of Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Eric Singhi, MD, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, joined Lung Cancers Today to discuss the importance of Lung Cancer Awareness Month.

“Lung Cancer Awareness Month is observed every November, and it’s really important to continue to raise awareness about lung cancer and to help break down the stigma that many patients with lung cancer continue to experience,” Dr. Singhi said. “What I tell my patients the first time I meet them in clinic is that ‘Anyone with lungs is at risk for lung cancer, and no one deserves to have lung cancer.’”

Dr. Singhi emphasized that this makes it critical to “continue to raise awareness and advocate for our patients with lung cancer.” Raising funds for lung cancer research is another key action to take.

“That’s really the way that we’re providing hope, providing cures for patients with lung cancer,” Dr. Singhi said. “What people may not know is that only 6% of federal government dollars are currently being given with regards to cancer research specific to lung cancer.”

This means that there is a “lot more room for improvement” in funding lung cancer research, especially with lung cancer being the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women in the United States.

“More patients are lost to lung cancer every year than breast cancer, colon cancer, and pancreatic cancer combined, so we really have this gap, this unmet need to continue to support lung cancer research so we can have positive outcomes for our patients,” Dr. Singhi said.