Office of Public Relations — Newsroom
News Release
Nationally-Recognized Author Speaks about "The Human Side of Cancer"
AURORA, Colo. (Sept. 1, 2005) — Approximately 1,750 living in Colorado, and 173,000 in the United States each year, will receive a diagnosis of lung cancer. Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in Colorado. Although today patients and their families and caregivers have more choices to manage and treat lung cancer, coping with the diagnosis and making decisions about treatment can be overwhelming.
Nationally-recognized psycho-oncology expert, Dr. Jimmie Holland, the author of a book titled Human Side of Cancer: Living with Hope, Coping with Uncertainty, will speak to patients and their families at the University of Colorado Cancer Center as part of a national program, "Together, Facing Lung Cancer," to offer guidance about coping with illness and treatment decisions.
"I have learned over the years about the difficult issues people face when they have any kind of cancer — the negative and frightening meaning of the word cancer, and the feeling that people look at them differently," Dr. Holland said. "Patients need the support of others to cope and to feel they are not in this alone."
"Together, Facing Lung Cancer" is a free program that encourages patients, friends, family members and physicians to work together. Together with Dr. Paul Bunn, director of the UCCC and world-renowned lung cancer specialist, and the Lung Cancer Alliance, Holland will talk to lung cancer patients and their families at the Anschutz Outpatient Pavilion on Wednesday, Sept. 14 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
"It is so important for patients to create a strong personal network of support between themselves and their medical caregivers so they are comfortable about their decisions," Bunn said. "Research developments and new therapies offer options that weren't available just a couple years ago."
To attend this free event call (800) 724-1136 or e-mail info@togetherfacinglungcancer.com. For more information about the program visit www.togetherfacinglungcancer.com.
About Dr. Holland
Holland has counseled patients, their families, and medical staff members for 25 years through the psychological and social challenges associated with a diagnosis of cancer. She is the former chair of the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. She has held the Wayne E. Chapman chair in psychiatric oncology, and is a professor of psychiatry at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Holland is recognized internationally as the founder of psycho-oncology, a subspecialty of oncology.
Starting in the mid 1970s, she conducted some of the first research studies relating to the prevalence and nature of psychological problems in patients with cancer. In 1977, Holland established the first Psycho-Oncology Committee in the Cancer and Leukemia Group B, a National Cancer Institute Clinical Trials Group. She was the founding president of the International Psycho Oncology Society (1984) and of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society (1986). Holland also serves as chair of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network's Panel on Management of Distress. The American Cancer Society awarded her its Medal of Honor for Clinical Research in 1994, as well as the ASCO/ACS Lecture and Award in 2003. In April 2005, the Joseph Burchenal Award for Clinical Research was granted to Holland by the American Association for Cancer Research.
About Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)
According to the World Health Organization, there are more than 1.2 million
cases worldwide of lung and bronchial cancer each year, causing approximately
1.1 million deaths annually. It is estimated that more than 173,000 people
will be diagnosed with lung cancer in the United States in 2005. According
to the National Cancer Institute, lung cancer is the single largest cause of
cancer deaths in the United States and is responsible for nearly 30 percent
of cancer deaths in this country. NSCLC is the most common form of the disease
and accounts for almost 80 percent of all lung cancers.
About the Lung Cancer Alliance
The Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) is the only not-for-profit organization dedicated
solely to advocating for people living with lung cancer or at risk for the
disease. LCA programs improve the quality of lung cancer patients' lives through
advocacy, support, and education. The LCA has relocated their headquarters
to Washington, D.C., in an effort to embrace a new strategic direction to increase
their focus on advocacy. The LCA is a charter member of the Global Lung Cancer
Coalition — an international campaign that raises awareness worldwide
about lung cancer. The group also aims to improve standards of care and treatment
for those fighting the disease.
About the American Psychosocial Oncology Society
The American Psychosocial Oncology Society is the only national organization
devoted solely to research and the study of improving cancer patients and their
families quality of life. Their national network seeks to help patients with
cancer and their families find counseling resources in their local communities.
The referral program aims to connect patients or patient advocacy organizations
to psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, and social workers skilled in the
management of cancer-related distress. To request a confidential referral,
please call: 1-866-APOS-4-HELP (1-866-276-7443).
About the University of Colorado Cancer Center
The University of Colorado Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated
comprehensive cancer center in the Rocky Mountain Region. Headquartered primarily
at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, its four-part
mission is excellence in cancer research, treatment, prevention and education.
For more information, visit the Web site at www.uccc.info.
Together, Facing Lung Cancer is brought to you by the Lung Cancer Alliance, Genentech, and OSI Pharmaceuticals.