The Lung Cancer Foundation is Honored to be the Primary Charity of the Hank Baskett Classic Golf Tournament

SAN CARLOS, Calif., May 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation is honored to be the primary charity of the Second Annual Hank Baskett Classic Golf Tournament – a tournament devoted to raising much needed awareness and funds for lung cancer research. The tournament will take place on May 16-17, 2013 at the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

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"The most sobering statistic is that the five-year survival rate for lung cancer is only 15.7 percent, and has remained unchanged for more than 40 years," said Bonnie J. Addario, stage 3B lung cancer survivor and Founder of the Lung Cancer Foundation. "We thank the Basketts and supporters of the tournament who are really making a difference in the lives of lung cancer patients, friends and families."

The Lung Cancer Foundation has created a strong relationship with Hank Baskett ever since they first met at a fundraiser in Los Angeles for lung cancer two years ago. Hank Baskett's father had been recently diagnosed with lung cancer and was struggling with treatment and side effects. 

As a stage 3B lung cancer survivor and through her expertise, Bonnie knew Hank Sr.'s response to his treatment was not optimal and she was relentless in making sure he got a second opinion. He was referred to Dr. Ross Camidge, MD PhD in Colorado, knowing that Hank might be a candidate for a targeted drug. Dr. Camidge ran a molecular test on Hank Sr. and determined a personalized treatment regime for him. The personalized treatment showed positive results almost immediately.

"We encourage all patients to be tested for bio markers that can be matched with targeted drugs that are much less toxic," Addario explained.  "Currently, only about 20 percent of the lung cancer population qualify for this treatment. But 20 percent of the 220,000 people diagnosed every year is a huge number."

Dr. Camidge is one of the leading minds in lung cancer today and committed to changing the dire statistics. When he isn't treating patients in the clinic, he is working with his research team searching for new and better biomarkers and drugs for patients.

Dr. Camidge will be honored with the "Hank Baskett Sr. Spirit Award" at an awards dinner on Friday, May 17. The Hank Basket Classic Golf Tournament, through the support of Hank Baskett III, aims to raise funds for people of all ages affected by this life-threatening disease.  Proceeds will benefit the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation and will be used for research that can have a significant impact on patients. 

The facts about Lung Cancer cannot continue to go unnoticed:

• In the last 45 years 50 million people worldwide have died from lung cancer.
• Every day 450 more die, 19 every hour and one every three minutes will die in the US and 1.4 million worldwide every year.
• It is the leading cancer killer in every ethnic group, and since 1987 lung cancer has killed more women every year than breast cancer.
• Yet the five-year survival rate for lung cancer is only 15.7 percent, and it has remained unchanged for more than 40 years.
• This staggering loss of life has gone unnoticed too long, and the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation is on a mission to change that.

"The Foundation is powering progress through ground-up initiatives, educating patients to identify solutions and make timely and meaningful change," Addario said. "The LCF is empowering patients to take a seat at the table wherever discussions are being made about their care. We are committed to improving the standard of care and believe that chronically managed lung cancer using molecular testing to determine personalized therapies is the future of lung cancer treatment and the pathway to increasing the survival rate."

About the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation
The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation is one of the largest philanthropies (patient-founded, patient-focused, and patient-driven) devoted exclusively to eradicating Lung Cancer through research, early detection, education, and treatment. The Foundation works with a diverse group of physicians, organizations, industry partners, individuals, survivors, and their families to identify solutions and make timely and meaningful change.  BJALCF was established on March 1, 2006 as a 501c(3) non-profit organization and has raised more than $10 million for patient programs and lung cancer research and started another foundation called ALCMI (Addario Lung Cancer Foundation) which is devoted exclusively to research. 

SOURCE Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation