Women and Lung Cancer and Congress in 2021

We gladly mark another step forward in long-standing efforts to elevate lung cancer as a women’s health imperative and accelerate efforts to transform survivorship for our community.

Bi-partisan congressional leaders responded to our call to action and reintroduced the Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act of 2021, which draws an urgently needed bright light on the disparate impact lung cancer has on women.

Urge Members of Congress to support this legislation now!

The Act urges the National Cancer Institute to accelerate research and implementation of preventive services for women and calls on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to begin development of a national public education and awareness campaign on women and lung cancer and the importance of early detection.  Understanding why lung cancer behaves differently in women will unlock answers that will advance transformative breakthroughs to improve quality of life and increase survival, not just for women, but also for the entire lung cancer community.

Lung Cancer Acts Differently in Women

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death among women—more than breast and all gynecological cancers—combined. In 2021, every 8 minutes, a woman dies of lung cancer, a total 62,470 tragic deaths. We know that lung cancer effects women differently than men, especially in those who have never smoked. Approximately two-thirds of never smokers diagnosed are women, who are often diagnosed at a younger age. In addition, recent studies indicate that the rate of lung cancer diagnosed in young women who never smoked is increasing. Related research show that women respond differently to lung cancer treatments than men.  This is why it is crucial that we work to unlock “how and why” this is happening. Save Her Lungs is our call to action on this women’s health imperative.

Legislation that Leads to Cures

This legislation, once passed, will start the discovery process that ends in cures. The Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act of 2021 is an opportunity to reset the dialogue and reshape our healthcare infrastructure to help people with lung cancer live longer. This is a federal plan of action to help increase research to (1) gain a better understanding about why lung cancer behaves differently in women and (2) inform life-saving gains in early detection and treatment. The legislation also outlines methods to accelerate implementation of screening services and public awareness and education initiatives about the importance of early detection.

Lung Cancer Community Perseverance

The lung cancer community’s perseverance is paying off with Congress advancing our cause through this new legislation. We thank our mothers, sisters, aunts, daughters, and grandmothers who have fearlessly emerged from the shadows to challenge stigma, share their stories, and demand change. Our collective voices are changing misperceptions and advancing new opportunities to deliver life-saving screening and innovative treatments to our families and community. Together we shout Save Her Lungs.

Take action today by urging Members of Congress to support this life-saving legislation.

There is more. We continue to accelerate progress with other major GO2 for Lung Cancer initiatives related to women and lung cancer:

• Conducting research studies to understand lung cancer’s impact on women, including the Epidemiology of Young Lung Cancer (EoYLC) study to understand why lung cancer is happening in young people, including the increasing rate in young women; and, the Sexual Health Assessment of Women with Lung Cancer (SHAWL) study that looks at side effects of lung cancer treatment in women.
• Making the life-saving benefits of screening for lung cancer as important, affordable, accessible, and routine to women at risk.
• Advocating for historic increases in federal research funding to advance breakthroughs and cures.
• Ensuring that women and men have access to high-quality screening and treatment in communities where they live.

Whatever it takes. Whatever the need. We get it done together.