Legislation aims to increase research on lung cancer among women, improve screening access
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GO2 for Lung Cancer praised lawmakers in the House and Senate for introducing a bipartisan bill that would increase research focus on the impact of lung cancer among women.
The Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act of 2023 also aims to expand access to screening services and elevate national awareness of the disease, which remains the leading cause of cancer death among women.
“The time is now to transform survivorship for women impacted by lung cancer,” Laurie Fenton Ambrose, president and CEO of GO2 for Lung Cancer, said in a press release from the organization. “This has been a core priority of ours for years and we are grateful to these elected leaders who are accelerating lifesaving change for our community.”
According to the release, the legislation calls for the secretary of health and human services, secretary of defense and secretary of veterans affairs to evaluate the status of and seek opportunities related to:
- Increased research on women and lung cancer;
- Improved access to lung cancer preventive services; and
- A national public awareness and education campaign on lung cancer.
On average, lung cancer receives $3,580 per death in NIH research funding, compared with more than $19,050 per death for breast cancer, according to the release.
“Lung cancer develops differently in women and men,” Ambrose said. “There are sex differences in many facets of the disease, including risk factors, clinical characteristics, progression and length of survival. Yet research on these differences is far from conclusive — and woefully lacking. The result has limited opportunities to improve preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic practices. Increasing the investment in women's health research will reverse this this trend.”
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