More Tennesseans are expected to die this year from lung cancer than any other form of cancer, yet lung cancer research receives far less funding than other forms of the disease.
To address this funding disparity, the LUNGevity Foundation will host the second annual Breathe Deep 5-K race/walk event, Saturday, Nov. 17, in Nashville’s Centennial Park.
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center is one of the co-sponsors of the event and Vanderbilt is forming a team to participate in this year’s event.
The 5K is a timed run, while the walk is untimed. Parents, children and even pets are welcome to take part in the annual lung cancer awareness activities.
That evening, VICC will host a free reception for lung cancer patients and their caregivers.
The Breathe Hope reception will be held at the Frances Preston Research Building from 6 to 8 p.m. and is open to any lung cancer patient or survivor, no matter where they received their treatment. The event will give lung cancer survivors and caregivers an opportunity to meet other individuals who understand their cancer journey.
The LUNGevity Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing awareness about lung cancer and providing funds for the most promising research, including research at VICC.
Pierre Massion, M.D., associate professor of Medicine and Cancer Biology, said lung cancer patients deserve more attention and support.
“More than half of patients diagnosed with lung cancer are ex- or never smokers,” said Massion, who is also an Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research.
“Our research laboratory is focused on finding the biomarkers that will tell us which individuals are likely to develop lung cancer and how and why the disease develops. These same biomarkers should help us find better treatments for this often-fatal disease.”
Massion also serves as chair of the LUNGevity Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board.
To register for the Breathe Hope reception at VICC, visit www.breathhopenashville.com or call 936-1789.
To join Vanderbilt’s team for the Breathe Deep race/walk, visit www.viccfallwalks.org or contact Jennifer.rice@vanderbilt.edu.
