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Despite being a non-smoker, Jane Bennett is fighting lung cancer. She's seen in her West Carrollton home with her grandchildren, the David, 9, Travis, 2, and Arianna Margerum, 2 months.

Staff photo by Chris Stewart Despite being a non-smoker, Jane Bennett is fighting lung cancer. She's seen in her West Carrollton home with her grandchildren, the David, 9, Travis, 2, and Arianna Margerum, 2 months.

Lung Cancer Awareness Month shines the spotlight on the leading killer among all cancers

By Meredith Moss, Staff Writer Updated 1:35 PM Sunday, October 31, 2010

Jane Bennett admits she’s jealous of women who have breast cancer.

“They can have both breasts removed and get a nice new matching set, and if they’ve caught it early they’ll be fine,” says the wistful West Carrollton woman.

Bennett is not that fortunate. Diagnosed with Stage III lung cancer in March, 2009, the 68-year-old is hoping to stay alive “long enough for a promising new treatment to come down the road.” Her lung cancer is now Stage IV.

“It was such a shock,” says Bennett who never smoked. Her only symptom was a dry cough she assumed was a result of living in “sinus valley.”

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and, according to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer will take more lives in a given year than many other cancers combined, including breast, prostate, colon, liver and kidney. Like Bennett, 15 percent of those diagnosed have never smoked.

Despite those grim facts, lung cancer seems to garner less attention whether it’s the federal funding or elaborate fundraisers.

In 2009, $749,491,860 was spent for breast cancer research by the National Cancer Institute and the Department of Defense; lung cancer research received $266,978,250.

According to Charity Navigator, there are at least 1,300 breast cancer organizations nationwide and slightly less than 150 for lung cancer.

The Miami Valley’s recent Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk attracted 8,000 walkers and raised $385,000. Organizers for the upcoming Free to Breathe Walk in Centerville on Saturday say they’ll be happy to see 300 walkers this year and have set a goal of $15,000.

Dr. Regina Vidaver, executive director of the National Lung Cancer Partnership, believes there are a number of reasons there is such an incredible awareness of breast cancer, despite the fact that lung cancer takes nearly twice as many women’s lives. An estimated 39,840 women will die from breast cancer and 71,080 women from lung cancer in the United States in 2010. The overall five-year survival rate for lung cancer patients is 16 percent.

“For one, most women survive that disease; and if a woman has a lump in her breast, it can be felt,” Vidaver says. “Lung tumors can’t be felt and there are few nerves in the lungs, so pain doesn’t usually occur to alert someone to the problem.”

There’s also a clinically accepted screening test that finds many breast cancers.

“These two facts help create a legion of breast cancer survivors who become advocates for more research funding, better treatment and improved screening,” says Vidaver. “The majority of people with lung cancer will not survive.”

Another factor, she says, is that the symptoms of lung cancer — such as a cough that won’t go away or unexplained pain in the back, neck or shoulder — can be signs of many diseases so physicians may not recognize symptoms of lung cancer until the disease is more advanced.

That’s what happened to Linda Wajdowicz, 58, who said her only symptom was a hurting back.

“I thought I had pulled my back out, and that’s what the chiropractor thought also,” says the East Dayton woman. “But he didn’t ease the pain.”

It wasn’t until she woke up one day and couldn’t breathe that she made an appointment with her family doctor. Chest X-rays, CT scans and a biopsy revealed she had lung cancer.

“My goal is to live long enough to see my husband retire in two years,” says Wajdowicz, who has gone from 149 to 111 pounds since her diagnosis. “I’ll keep fighting until they put me in the ground.”

The feisty mother of three continued to work at Springhill Nursery in Tipp City while undergoing the chemotherapy and radiation that shrank the large tumor. She’s now busy crocheting afghans for each of her three granddaughters for Christmas.

“She’s awesome,” says Nicole Heindl, a CT scheduler at Good Samaritan North. “She always seems to be cheerful.”

“I know it will eventually kill me and it took a long time for me to accept that,” admits Wajdowicz, a pack-a-day smoker on and off for 30 years. “I have bad days and sometimes I cry, but then I’ll start yelling at myself. I used to have a meltdown more often, now it’s down to every two to three weeks.”

Both Bennett and Wajdowicz remain hopeful about new targeted treatments that are making a difference. Bennett is hoping to be accepted at the James Cancer Hospital in Columbus for a clinical trial that could potentially slow her disease. She has adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer in women and those who have not smoked.

Oncologist Mark Marinella says while there’s no definitive scientific proof that a positive mental attitude can improve survival, he believes it can make a difference.

“For example, a positive attitude may enable a patient to expedite their care by not resisting potentially beneficial treatments,” he says. “Patients with a positive outlook may be more amenable to being proactive in their care with such things as exercise, nutrition, counseling for depression and seeking out a church for prayer and emotional support.”

Marinella says the positive news about lung cancer is that there are treatment advances in both diagnosis and imaging. Radiation and chemotherapies are starting to be tailored for different subtypes of lung cancer. Surgery remains the best treatment if the cancer is localized.

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Cancer awareness run/walk

What: Free to Breathe, a 5K or 1-mile run/walk to promote lung cancer awareness and benefit research

When: 9 a.m. Nov. 6

Where: Centerville High School, 500 E. Franklin St., Centervile. Meet at the back of the school.

Donation: $20 registration includes a T-shirt if registered by Nov. 3. Proceeds benefit the National Lung Cancer Partnership’s research, education and awareness programs.

More info: www.freetobreathe.com