Science, Government and Industry Converge in National Call to Action on Lung Cancer

SAUSALITO, Calif., Aug. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The New England Journal of Medicine's recent publication of the landmark National Lung Screening Trial (NLST), along with two congressional initiatives and an industry report, beacon a much brighter future for Lung Cancer patients.

Forty-three million Americans suffer from a chronic pulmonary disease, such as Lung Cancer, COPD, Asthma and Cystic Fibrosis. Pulmonary diseases account for 3 out of the top 5 disease states with the highest incidence of mortality. Lung cancer is the deadliest of all cancers, causing nearly 30% of all cancer-related deaths, killing over 200,000 Americans annually. In 2009, the Lung Cancer Alliance confirmed that 70,490 women perished from Lung Cancer, more than all other female-related cancers (Breast, Cervical, Uterine, and Ovarian) combined.  

Larry Gerrans, CEO and Co-Founder of Sausalito, CA-based Sanovas (http://www.sanovas.com), a manufacturer of therapy-enabling technologies for the treatment of Pulmonary Disease and lung cancer, said, "As we have seen with other chronic diseases, early detection has proved to save lives and relieve the emotional and financial hardship these diseases have on families and on the health care system. The NLST promises new hope for patients who, otherwise, would not know that Lung Cancer has taken hold of them."

Published August 4, the Reduced Lung-Cancer Mortality with Low-Dose Computed Tomographic Screening study found a 24.2% increase in the detection of Lung Cancer using low-dose CT over Chest X-Ray alone. The study, which enrolled 53,454 persons at high risk for Lung Cancer at 33 U.S. medical centers, also found a 20% reduction in mortality from lung cancer in patients who were screened with a low-dose CT.

"This is the first time that we have seen clear evidence of a significant reduction in lung cancer mortality with a screening test in a randomized controlled trial. The fact that low-dose helical CT provides a decided benefit is a result that will have implications for the screening and management of lung cancer for many years to come," says Dr. Christine Berg, the NCI project officer for the study.

Congress, in its effort to reduce the cost burden of Lung Cancer on the GDP of the country, has architected two legislative initiatives, in response to the national call to action on Lung Cancer. The bi-partisan, bi-cameral Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act, originally sponsored by Diane Feinstein (D-CA), was recently reintroduced in the 112th Congress. The Senate Bill (S.752) and its House counterpart (HR 1394) would establish the first-ever multi-agency comprehensive program targeted at lung cancer.

The "Medicare Lung Cancer Early Detection Promotion Act of 2011" seeks to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide reimbursement for chest radiography services that use Computer Aided Detection technology for the purpose of early detection of lung cancer.

Markets and Markets (M&M), a global market research and consulting company based in the U.S., declared in its July 2011 analysis that "the market for Lung Cancer surgeries alone was valued at $36 Billion in 2010 and expected to grow to $45 Billion by 2015."

"Recent events have been great validation for those staked in the humanitarian cause to cure lung cancer and pulmonary disease. It is gratifying to hear all the voices from Industry, Government and Science now come together in harmony," said Mr. Gerrans.

Contact:

Steve Goldsmith
Vice President, Marketing
Sanovas Surgical Technologies
707. 649. 2255
[email protected]
http://www.sanovas.com

SOURCE Sanovas Surgical Technologies