New lung cancer radiation therapy created

U.S. radiologists say they have developed a new lung cancer treatment
that avoids conventional radiation regimens or surgical procedures.

Temple University Professor Curtis Miyamoto, who led the research, said the technique -- stereotactic body radiotherapy -- improves the odds of surviving early stage lung cancer.

"With the success of this technique, we're now questioning whether we'll even be doing surgeries on these patients in the future," Miyamoto said.

Ad campaign goal to raise lung cancer awareness

Why are there no lapel ribbons for lung cancer? There simply aren't enough survivors to amass a movement.

Every day, about 500 Americans are diagnosed with lung cancer. The disease surpassed breast cancer in 1985 as the largest killer of women.

With few early symptoms and no techniques for early detection, lung cancer is rarely caught before reaching stage 4. Five years after diagnosis, only 15 percent of lung cancer victims are still alive, a statistic that has been static for 40 years.

Also, there is a stigma attached, because lung cancer is seen as a smoker's disease. On that point, it's time for an update.

"Sixty percent of the newly diagnosed lung cancer cases are either people who never smoked or people who quit smoking decades ago," says Bonnie Addario, a lung cancer survivor and founder of the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, based in San Francisco.

The State reports: Online Extra: A great step forward in cancer research

By JENNY SANFORD, South Carolina's First Lady

My mother has taught me some important things in her 3½ decades fighting cancer. Cancer is multi-causal, with more than one factor setting it on its course. Likewise, the key to survival often includes a number of things working together — strong faith, positive attitude, early detection and of course the best possible care and treatment. These things work together and collaborate to save lives.

The news that the Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina has received designation from the National Cancer Institute should be cheered across the state. This designation means that Hollings Cancer Center is conducting research capable of contributing to the war on cancer in South Carolina and beyond.

The State reports: Woman, 84, gets the ride of her life for birthday

BUCKHEAD RIDGE, Fla. - What do you get an 84-year-old lady for her birthday? That's what Carol Brown was thinking a few weeks ago. Her mother, June Pearce, was turning 84. The idea of buying and giving more stuff just didn't appeal to Brown.

"When you're 84, what is there?" she thought.

Pearce lives in a slow-paced retirement area near Lake Okeechobee in rural Florida. She's been married to the same man, Fred, for 64 years. Pearce is a wife and a mother. She's had a few strokes, which have robbed her mind of short-term memories. Lung cancer has claimed much of her strength.

But one memory has stuck with her: riding on the back of a boy's motorcycle in the 1930s.

"I wasn't scared at all," Pearce remembers.

The State reports: Roche raises price in hostile offer for Genentech

Hanging over the talk of Genentech's value has been upcoming study data on the blockbuster cancer drug Avastin's effectiveness in treating early-stage colon cancer. The drug is already approved for various types of breast, lung and colon cancers and is the company's best-selling product. If the latest study is successful, the share price will likely rise, several analysts have said, but the opposite could also hold true.