Dana Reeve’s Sister Joins Fight Against Lung Cancer
When Dana Reeve was diagnosed with lung cancer at age 44, it not only shocked her family, it shocked the world. After losing her husband, actor Christopher Reeve, a year earlier, she was facing the most deadly form of cancer.
Like so many others, Reeve lost her battle with lung cancer. But she left behind a sister who is now waging a campaign to raise awareness about the disease and the need to increase lung cancer research and improve diagnosis and treatment options.
“When I found out Dana had lung cancer, there are no words to express how devastated I was,” says Deborah Morosini, MD. “After her death, the dismal picture of the low survival rates for lung cancer was on my radar screen and I knew I had to do something about it.”
Dr. Morosini has agreed to join the American Lung Association of California in shining the light on the devastating impact lung cancer has on those who get it and their loved ones. She will speak at a number of association events highlighting lung cancer, including women’s lung health luncheons in Sacramento and Palm Desert this spring, and appear in a public service announcement the organization is developing about the disease.
She has also focused her professional life on improving cancer outcomes since the death of her sister. The pathologist now works for a pharmaceutical company conducting cancer research in the hopes of finding more effective treatments.
Although Dana had never smoked, the vast majority of people (87 percent) who get lung cancer are either current smokers or smoked at some point in their lives. About 60 percent of those who are diagnosed with the disease have either quit smoking or never smoked.
While there have been major advances in the diagnosis and treatment of other cancers, the picture remains dismal for lung cancer. One reason is that until recently, significantly fewer dollars have been dedicated to lung cancer research.
“There is a stigma around lung cancer because so many people think smokers brought it on themselves. It’s troubling to think we as a culture blame people for this disease,” Dr. Morosini says. “Nobody deserves to get lung cancer. The fact is, smoking causes lung cancer and if you don’t smoke you can lower your risk. But other things can also cause lung cancer and we really don’t know much about what those are.”
Lung Cancer is Leading Cancer Killer
Lung Cancer kills more than 160,000 people in the U.S. every year. It is responsible for more deaths than breast, colon and prostate cancer combined. In addition, people who have never smoked are at greater risk of dying from lung cancer than from liver or ovarian cancer.
“One of the problems is lung cancer is usually found at an advanced stage,” says Russell Kline, MD, a pulmonologist who helped develop a position paper on the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer for the California Thoracic Society, the American Lung Association of California’s medical section.
The position paper is one of three definitive guidelines published recently that summarize the most effective diagnosis and treatment options available today. The others were published by the American College of Chest Physicians and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
For those who have been diagnosed with lung cancer, understanding treatment options can be overwhelming. The American Lung Association can help through its free online NexProfiler Tool. It provides a personalized report that weighs the pros and cons of treatment options. It also helps those with lung cancer know what to ask their doctors so they can get the answers they need to make the right decision for them. In addition, nurses and respiratory therapists are available to answer questions about lung cancer and other lung health issues at the association’s free Lung HelpLine at 800.LUNG.USA (800.586.4872), option 2.
“It’s really important for people with lung cancer to get all the information and support they can,” Dr. Morosini says. “Sadly, there are not a lot of lung cancer support groups out there.” She is excited to be working with the American Lung Association of California and other lung cancer advocates because she believes it will take the same kind of movement we have seen in the area of breast cancer to raise the level of awareness and make similar strides against lung cancer.
“While the situation is still not great for people with lung cancer, there is room for hope,” says Dr. Klein. “Our knowledge of lung cancer is accelerating. We understand better the genes that are driving this. I would say in the next five to 10 years, we will have better tools for diagnosing and treating lung cancer.”
In the meantime, Dr. Morosini and the American Lung Association of California will continue to fight the disease by raising awareness and supporting those who have it.
“I feel so guided by Dana,” Dr. Morosini says. “She and Chris were such icons of survival and getting through the worst. Their response was to give back. So I am keeping that powerful spirit and message alive.”
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