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Dr. Len's Cancer Blog

J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, MD, MACP - Dr. Lichtenfeld is Deputy Chief Medical Officer for the national office of the American Cancer Society. He directs the Society’s Cancer Control Science Department, which produces the Society’s widely recognized guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cancer and guidelines for nutrition and physical activity for cancer survivors. Additionally, Dr. Lichtenfeld is a frequent spokesperson on a variety of cancer-related subjects and serves as a liaison for the Society with many professional and public organizations.   More >>

Lung Cancer Screening: What Do We Do Now?          

Every year lung cancer extracts a terrible toll in this country.

 

It is obvious that anything we can do to decrease the rate of deaths from lung cancer will have a huge impact on the health and length of life of this country.

 

For those who are smokers, and those who are former smokers who have quit using tobacco (who are now in the majority relative to those who have ever used tobacco), there has been little we can offer to prevent this disease.

 

And, up until recently, there has been no screening test that we can recommend to everyone who has been a smoker or exposed extensively to second hand smoke that might find lung cancer early and offer the benefit of saving their lives.

 

An article reported in today’s New England Journal of Medicine may go a long way to changing our perceptions regarding the benefits of screening for lung cancer in an effort to catch the disease early.


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Posted on 10/25/2006 5:10 PM by Dr. Len  Lichtenfeld Comments (3)
Avastin And Lung Cancer:Can We Afford Miracles?          

An announcement yesterday that Avastin (bevacizumab) was approved for the treatment of advanced lung cancer was good news, but it also raised some troubling questions.

 

How the company has responded to some of the criticisms about the cost of the drug is also of interest, but it remains to be seen how their efforts are going to be greeted by patients and their doctors.


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Posted on 10/12/2006 7:31 PM by Dr. Len  Lichtenfeld Comments (19)
The Baby Is Still (Sun)Burning          

If we are going to make continued progress in reducing the burden of cancer, then we need to pay close attention to those lifestyle issues that impact cancer incidence, as well as make certain we get recommended cancer screenings at appropriate intervals.

 

But cancer prevention is not just a topic for adults like you and me. It should also be a topic for kids as well, particularly in the areas of smoking, diet, exercise and sun exposure.

 

We cannot ignore the fact that many of the habits that lead to cancer and other chronic illnesses start with our children, and we as adults and parents have a responsibility to our kids to set the right example, and to do our best to get them started on the right track.

 

In one area in particular, however, it looks like we are not doing a very good job, and that is in regards to the risks associated with sun exposure.


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Posted on 10/5/2006 5:24 PM by Dr. Len  Lichtenfeld Comments (3)