Former U.S. Representative Clay Shaw Loses Battle With Lung Cancer

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Sep 11, 2013, 01:59 ET

Lung Cancer Alliance Honorary Board Member Was a Great Supporter in the Fight Against Lung Cancer

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Lung Cancer Alliance mourns the loss of an Honorary Board Member, The Honorable Clay Shaw who passed away Tuesday from a long battle with lung cancer.

Lung Cancer Alliance sends heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the Honorable Clay Shaw, who was a strong leader on so many legislative fronts, including lung cancer, during his tenure in the House of Representatives.

"We are thankful to have worked with Congressman Shaw and will continue to pursue our work in the fight against lung cancer in his honor and in honor of all those touched by lung cancer," says President & CEO of Lung Cancer Alliance, Laurie Fenton Ambrose.

Former Congressman Shaw was one of the first elected leaders in the House of Representatives to advocate for critically needed federal research funding for lung cancer screening and treatments. Shaw's early and unwavering support to the lung cancer community paved the way for the progress we have seen with the passage of lung cancer-specific legislation, the approval of new treatments and now the recommendation for lung cancer screening for those at high risk.

About Lung Cancer:
Lung cancer is the leading killer in the United States, taking more lives than breast, prostate, colon and pancreatic cancers combined. 435 people die each day from lung cancer. That is nearly 160,000 lives lost per year. Only 15 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer will live 5 years or longer. This is primarily because today the vast majority of lung cancers are diagnosed at a late stage.

About Lung Cancer Alliance:
Lung Cancer Alliance is the only national non-profit dedicated solely to providing support and advocacy for people living with or at risk of lung cancer. They have long advocated for the use of low-dose CT scans in at-risk populations for the early detection of lung cancer. In response to the recent USPSTF recommendation for lung cancer screening for those at high risk, LCA has put together an online risk assessment tool: www.AtRiskForLungCancer.org and is encouraging people to find out if they are at risk and if they are to get a scan. Lung Cancer Alliance also played an integral role in the 2012 Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act to redirect U.S. government cancer research funds to those cancers that have not seen improvement rates, mainly lung and pancreatic cancers.

Lung Cancer Alliance has six local chapters: California, Kentucky/Southern Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

The non-profit endorses medical facilities for safe and effective lung cancer screening protocols across the country, including Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C., West Virginia and Wisconsin.