Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation

Last updated

The Bonnie J. Addario a Breath Away from the Cure Foundation (ABAFTC), sometimes styled Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (BJALCF), is a foundation created by Bonnie J. Addario in 2005 to eradicate lung cancer through research, early detection, education, prevention and treatment. [1] It is made up of volunteers, people in the medical profession, and lung cancer survivors. The Foundation has three goals: 1) to raise public awareness about the relative lack of attention given to lung cancer in biomedical research, 2) to help lung cancer patients navigate the healthcare system to receive the best available care, and 3) to enlist the aid of physicians and biomedical scientists in transforming cancer research. [2] The Foundation is based in San Carlos, California.

Contents

In 2019 the Foundation merged with the Lung Cancer Alliance to create a new organization known as the GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer. [3] [4]

Research funding

BJALCF provides funding for lung cancer research, early detection, education, prevention and treatment. The Foundation is one of the only private providers of lung cancer research and community outreach programs.

History

The Foundation was founded by Bonnie J. Addario, a lung cancer survivor, on March 6, 2006, the same day Dana Reeve died from lung cancer. This Foundation was formed in response to the fact that lung cancer is under-funded and under-researched based on the amount of research dollars allocated per death. [5] [6] In 2005, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spent $204 million on breast and cervical cancer research. [7] However, no money was allocated to lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women. The lack of funding, coupled with the complexity of the disease, has helped prevent lung cancer from making significant advances in its five-year survival rate. According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate has remained at approximately 15% since 1971. [8] The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation set out to change this seeming lack of progress by bringing lung cancer to national attention and establishing the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI), an international endeavor partnering academic institutions and community hospitals to advance treatment. [9]

In 2019 the Foundation merged with the Lung Cancer Alliance to create a new organization known as the GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer. [3] [4]

Bonnie J. Addario

Bonnie J. Addario is the Founder and Chair of the BJALCF. Prior to starting the Foundation, she spent twenty years in the oil industry wherein she rose to a leadership role. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small-cell carcinoma</span> Type of malignant cancer

Small-cell carcinoma is a type of highly malignant cancer that most commonly arises within the lung, although it can occasionally arise in other body sites, such as the cervix, prostate, and gastrointestinal tract. Compared to non-small cell carcinoma, small cell carcinoma has a shorter doubling time, higher growth fraction, and earlier development of metastases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preventive healthcare</span> Prevent and minimize the occurrence of diseases

Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, consists of measures taken for the purposes of disease prevention. Disease and disability are affected by environmental factors, genetic predisposition, disease agents, and lifestyle choices, and are dynamic processes which begin before individuals realize they are affected. Disease prevention relies on anticipatory actions that can be categorized as primal, primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Gerson</span> American physician

Max Gerson was a German-born American physician who developed the Gerson Therapy, a dietary-based alternative cancer treatment that he claimed could cure cancer and most chronic, degenerative diseases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cancer research</span>

Cancer research is research into cancer to identify causes and develop strategies for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pulmonary fibrosis</span> Human disease

Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which the lungs become scarred over time. Symptoms include shortness of breath, a dry cough, feeling tired, weight loss, and nail clubbing. Complications may include pulmonary hypertension, respiratory failure, pneumothorax, and lung cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desmoplastic small-round-cell tumor</span> Aggressive and rare cancer

Desmoplastic small-round-cell tumor (DSRCT) is an aggressive and rare cancer that primarily occurs as masses in the abdomen. Other areas affected may include the lymph nodes, the lining of the abdomen, diaphragm, spleen, liver, chest wall, skull, spinal cord, large intestine, small intestine, bladder, brain, lungs, testicles, ovaries, and the pelvis. Reported sites of metastatic spread include the liver, lungs, lymph nodes, brain, skull, and bones. It is characterized by the EWS-WT1 fusion protein.

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's oldest and largest professional association related to cancer research. Based in Philadelphia, the AACR focuses on all aspects of cancer research, including basic, clinical, and translational research into the etiology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Founded in 1907 by 11 physicians and scientists, the organization now has more than 50,000 members in 129 countries and territories. The mission of the AACR is to prevent and cure cancer through research, education, communication, collaboration, science policy and advocacy, and funding for cancer research.

Vaginal cancer is an extraordinarily rare form of cancer that develops in the tissue of the vagina. Primary vaginal cancer originates from the vaginal tissue – most frequently squamous cell carcinoma, but primary vaginal adenocarcinoma, sarcoma, and melanoma have also been reported – while secondary vaginal cancer involves the metastasis of a cancer that originated in a different part of the body. Secondary vaginal cancer is more common. Signs of vaginal cancer may include abnormal vaginal bleeding, dysuria, tenesmus, or pelvic pain, though as many as 20% of women diagnosed with vaginal cancer are asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis. Vaginal cancer occurs more frequently in women over age 50, and the mean age of diagnosis of vaginal cancer is 60 years. It often can be cured if found and treated in early stages. Surgery alone or surgery combined with pelvic radiation is typically used to treat vaginal cancer.

Mitumomab (BEC-2) is a mouse anti-BEC-2 monoclonal antibody investigated for the treatment of small cell lung carcinoma in combination with BCG vaccination. Mitumomab attacks tumour cells, while the vaccine is thought to activate the immune system. It was developed by ImClone and Merck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network</span> American nonprofit advocacy organization

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society. It was founded in September 2001 to directly lobby the goals of the American Cancer Society, which is subject to restrictions on advocacy activities because of its tax classification. ACS CAN works to make cancer a national priority. Specifically, it advocates for better access to care, cancer prevention and early detection programs, cancer research funding, regulation of tobacco by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, better quality of life for cancer patients, and attempts to raise awareness of and reduce cancer disparities. Members include cancer survivors, caregivers, patients, volunteers, and students, including Colleges Against Cancer.

The "war on cancer" is the effort to find a cure for cancer by increased research to improve the understanding of cancer biology and the development of more effective cancer treatments, such as targeted drug therapies. The aim of such efforts is to eradicate cancer as a major cause of death. The signing of the National Cancer Act of 1971 by United States president Richard Nixon is generally viewed as the beginning of this effort, though it was not described as a "war" in the legislation itself.

A cure is a substance or procedure that ends a medical condition, such as a medication, a surgical operation, a change in lifestyle or even a philosophical mindset that helps end a person's sufferings; or the state of being healed, or cured. The medical condition could be a disease, mental illness, genetic disorder, or simply a condition a person considers socially undesirable, such as baldness or lack of breast tissue.

The Head and Neck Cancer Alliance (HNCA) is a non-profit organization that works with health professionals and organizations, celebrities and survivors to enhance the overall effort in prevention, treatment, and detection of cancers of the head and neck region.

The Redstone Acceleration & Innovation Network (TRAIN) is an organization launched by FasterCures in 2004 established to create opportunities for medical research organizations to discuss and overcome research challenges that cut across all diseases. TRAIN brings together nonprofit disease research organizations to share information, as well as promote collaboration and innovation in disease research. Headed by FasterCures, TRAIN asserts that collaboration is crucial for efficient biomedical advancement. Participating researchers discuss successes, failures, and best practices that provide lessons learned and valuable ideas that could be scaled up to amplify productivity.

The Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute is a patient-founded non-profit research consortium established to help make lung cancer a survivable disease. Founded by advanced stage lung cancer patient Bonnie J. Addario, founder of the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation,.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 California Proposition 29</span> California law

Proposition 29, the California Cancer Research Act, is a California ballot measure that was defeated by California voters at the statewide election on June 5, 2012.

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) is a United States-based 501(c)(3) charity that funds research, provides patient/caregiver support, conducts community outreach and advocates for increased federal research funding for those affected by pancreatic cancer.

Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) was a U.S. national nonprofit organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C. Its stated purpose was to promote lung cancer awareness, reduce lung cancer mortality and end the stigma associated with lung cancer.

Cooley’s Anemia Foundation (CAF) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which funds medical research and education to benefit individuals living with the genetic blood disorder, thalassemia. The major form of this disorder is also known as Cooley's anemia.

The Oral Cancer Foundation, sometimes abbreviated to OCF, is an American, IRS registered, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, which focuses on oral and oropharyngeal cancer related issues and public awareness of the disease.

References

  1. 1 2 Moody, Shelah (30 December 2007). "Former executive employs skills to fight lung cancer". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  2. ↑ "Storming the Silos". LSF Magazine (Fall). 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  3. 1 2 Harris, Jason. "David R. Gandara, MD". Oncology Live. 21 (11). Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Our History". GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer.
  5. ↑ "The Right Woman for the Job: The Bonnie J. Addario Story". LSF Magazine (Summer). 2012.
  6. ↑ "Cancer Research Funding". National Cancer Institute. Archived from the original on 2010-01-10. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
  7. ↑ "Fall Year 2005 CDC Budget Request - Funding by Disease" (PDF). Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
  8. ↑ "Lung Cancer" (PDF). American Cancer Society. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
  9. ↑ Dockser Marcus, Amy (29 July 2008). "Putting Drug Development In Patients' Hands". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.