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Lung Cancer: Large Impact, Little Funding  

During the 2010: The Year of the Lung campaign, the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) and other members of the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) are honoring World Cancer Day, February 4, by elevating the awareness of lung cancer in terms of prevalence and prevention, as well as the amount of funding the disease receives for research in diagnosis and management.

Lung Cancer Funding

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women in the United States and throughout the world, yet it is the least funded. Lung cancer causes more deaths than the next four most common cancers combined, including breast, colon, pancreas, and prostate.(1) Furthermore, lung cancer has one of the lowest 5-year survival rates among the five leading cancer killers, second only to pancreatic cancer.(1) However, in the United States, lung cancer receives just $1,200 of federal funding per death, while breast cancer receives more than $27,000 per death, followed by $14,000 for prostate cancer and $6,500 for colon cancer.(2)

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