Exciting week, AHOY!!

I hope everyone is doing well! This week I am having quite a few tests done. In fact, I'm finally getting results that I have been waiting THREE months for.  That's right, we finally get to see what the Gamma Knife did inside my head. So, here is how the schedule goes:

Monday: PET Scan 

Thursday: MRI then appt with the Brain Doc to see what all the Gamma Knife treatment did

Friday: Bloodwork, Visit with Dr MO to see the results of the PET Scan and to see what kind of chemo I will be receiving on Friday...full blown or maintenance!

I'm exhausted just thinking about the upcoming week.

Since November (Lung Cancer Month) is quickly approaching, I thought I would share some facts from Lung Cancer Leaders

WOMEN AND LUNG CANCER

Lung cancer will take the lives of 71,000 women this year – more deaths than from 

breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers combined - yet cancer’s #1 killer of women remains 

greatly overlooked and misunderstood. Here are some of the essential facts about women 

and lung cancer:

*Lung cancer kills more women each year than breast, uterine and ovarian cancers 

combined.

*93% misidentified the leading cancer killer of women or have no idea what it is.

*Lung cancer will kill 71,000 women this year, nearly 80% more than will die 

from breast cancer

*Only 8% of women know lung cancer is the leading cancer killer of women (49% 

think breast cancer is)

*One in every 16 women will develop lung cancer in her lifetime

*Lung cancer diagnoses among women are up six fold over the last 30 years

*One in five women diagnosed with lung cancer never smoked

*Approximately 20,000-25,000 people who have never smoked are diagnosed with 

lung cancer in the U.S. each year; more than 60 percent are women

* As a separate disease category, lung cancer deaths in never-smokers ranks as the 

seventh deadliest cancer worldwide

*The overall 5 year survival rate for women with lung cancer lags far behind those 

of other women’s cancers (Lung cancer: 18.8%, Breast cancer: 90.1%, Ovarian 

cancer: 45.6%, Uterine cancer: 81.1%, Cervical cancer: 71.8%)

*Lung cancer receives $1,249 of federal funding per death, while breast cancer 

receives $27,480 per death, followed by $14,336 for prostate cancer and $6,590

for colon cancer

*Lung cancer surpassed breast cancer as the #1 cancer killer of women in 1987

References:

Cancer Facts and Figures 2011, American Cancer Society. 

http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@epidemiologysurveilance/documents/document/acspc-

029771.pdf Accessed October 2011.

Hyams and Johnson. Out of the Shadows: Woman and Lung Cancer. Brigham and Women’s Hospital. 

2010.

Out of the Shadows: Women and Lung Cancer, Lung Cancer Alliance. 

http://www.lungcanceralliance.org/shadows/Women_and_LC_2010.pdf Accessed September 2011.

The Desperate Need for Lung Cancer Funding. Uniting Against Lung Cancer.

http://www.unitingagainstlungcancer.org/research/need. Accessed October 2011.

GfK Roper Public Affairs national survey, conducted Oct 7-9, 2011. 

http://www.vshift.com/images/vshift/assets/File/LLCFW_Survey_Press_Release.pdf

Remember Cancer isn't always pink!

I will be sure to let you all know what I find out!  

Thanks for all your love and support! It makes my heart shine!

Love!

K*